After Everything We've Been Through
by JHen
Summary: It's the beginning of her 7th year and Jen's parents decide to move her to America. Six years later, something tragic happens and she is forced to live on her own. With no family and nowhere else to go, she returns to Britain. She meets up with her old f
1. Bad News

11

Title: After Everything We've Been Through…

Chapter 1: Bad News

As the train pulled away from the station, a girl of seventeen sat in a compartment by herself, waiting for her friends to arrive. She had long brown hair that she usually wore in a messy mop on top of her head, though she chose to wear it down that day. She was still wearing her Muggle clothes; she intended to change into her school robes a little later on in the day. She was wearing a pair if hip hugger bellbottom jeans and a black scoop-neck top. Her hazel eyes watched the scenery change as the train whisked down the track. She couldn't help but wonder where the boys were.

_Where are they? They should be here by now._ She knew she shouldn't expect them to be on time, the Weasley twins have never been punctual. Then she started to think about her summer and the horrible news her parents gave her only two days ago. _I really hope that my father doesn't take that job. I don't want to leave London and move to America. I don't want to leave Hogwarts and all of my friends, especially Fred and George._ It was then that she started to think about George. _He's so cute. I know that he and Fred are twins, but I think George is cuter. Then again, this move might be able to help me get over him. It's not like he'll ever see me as more than a friend._

She was brought out of her thoughts when the compartment door slid open to reveal two very handsome young men, who were smiling at her.

"Hi Jen," they chorused. She smiled at them both.

"It's about time you got here. I was beginning to think that you had forgotten about me," she told them, trying to act hurt.

"You're one of our best friends," Fred said as he sat down across from her.

"How could we ever forget about you?" George asked her as he sat next to her and gave her the goofy grin tat always made her stomach do flip flops. _Why does he always have to sit next to me?_ Jen thought to herself.

"Where's Lee?" she asked to try and cover up the blush that she felt creeping onto her face.

"He'll be along soon," Fred told her as the compartment door opened.

"Speak of the devil," Jen said as Lee entered the compartment and sat next to Fred. The three boys looked at her with confused expressions. "It's an expression that Muggles use when a person is being talked about and then that person appears moments later," she explained to them with a laugh.

"What were you saying about me?" Lee inquired.

"I was just saying how incredibly sexy you are and how I wanted to snog you," she answered with a laugh. He blushed, which made her laugh harder. "Actually, I was just asking where you were and Fred was telling me that you would be here soon when you walked in. Hence the comment I made," she told him.

"So how was your summer, Jen? You're last owl said that you were going to America with your parents," George asked her with interest. She lowered her eyes at his question because it made her think about why she really went there.

"We went to New York for a couple of weeks. We only got home yesterday, which is why I wasn't able to come and stay at the Burrow for the remainder of the summer," she told them.

"So what was it like? Did you see any sights?" Fred asked.

"We stayed in New York City because my dad has some business he had to take care of. While there, I went to the Empire State Building and then I went to Liberty and Ellis Island. It was really cool, until-" she was cut off by the old witch pushing the food cart. Jen was relieved because she didn't want to tell them that she might be moving before Christmas.

"So what happened to change the excitement of your trip?" George asked after she old witch had left their compartment. Jen sighed and looked out the window.

"Well, my father was offered a job with the American Ministry and he's seriously considering it," she told them with sadness clearly in her voice.

"So what does that mean? Are you going to be moving to America?" Fred asked her as he unwrapped a Chocolate Frog. She shrugged her shoulders and continued to look out the window.

"If he does take it, when would you be moving?" Lee asked her.

"Well, he was only offered the job a few days ago. They want him to start after Christmas, but I'm not exactly sure when. I _do_ know that he has to give them his answer no later than November 1st.

"You won't be here for the entire year? This was supposed to be our last year to terrorize the school," Fred said to her.

"Well, we'll just have to have one big laugh before you go. If you go," Lee said to her with a smile.

"I hope so, Lee. I hope so. On a different note, does anyone know who our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher is going to be?" she asked as she took a bite of a Pumpkin Pasty.

"No idea, but I guess we'll find out when we get to school," George told her. That was the first time he had said a word since Jen had mentioned that she might move.

Seeing George's discomfort, Lee asked if they wanted to play Exploding Snap. Fred and George said that they did, but Jen wanted to take a nap. She curled up on the bench as the boys played their game.

After a little while, George began to get tired too. He told them that he was going to take a nap too. Fred and Lee exchanged glances as George got comfortable. Fred and Lee always knew that George had had a crush on Jen, but they didn't know how she felt about him and George made them swear that they would not tell a soul, especially her. Fred and Lee decided to leave the compartment and let the two of them sleep.

While they were sleeping, Ron and Hermione were doing their rounds as newly appointed prefects. When they got to the compartment that Jen and George were sleeping, they were surprised by what they saw.

As they slept, the two of them had somehow managed to get themselves in a rather interesting position. Jen had managed to have her head in George's lap while he had one arm draped over her slender waist and the other entangled in her hair, which would suggest that he had been subconsciously been playing with her hair.

"Would you look at that? You would think that they were a couple. Don't they look cute together, Ron?" Hermione asked. Ron was very surprised by what he saw. He noticed the look that was on George's sleeping face and it looked all too familiar. It was the same look that he got whenever he thought about Hermione.

"I wonder if he likes her?" he said aloud.

"He does, but I didn't tell you that," Fred said as he came up from behind them and peeked into the compartment. "He's liked her for a long time, but he's too chicken to say anything to her. Especially now since she might be moving."

"Maybe we should wake them up. They haven't changed into their robed yet and we're almost there," Hermione said to the two boys.

"You can go right ahead and do that if you want to, Hermione," Fred told her.

"Yeah. You've obviously never been on the receiving end when George is woken up before he wants to be," Ron said to her. She rolled her eyes at both of them.

"Whatever. I'll do it then. You guys should go and change into your robes now. That way you won't be here when they wake up and feel like they have an audience," she told them. They both nodded in agreement and walked towards the compartment that Harry and Ginny were in so that they could change. Hermione walked in to the compartment and slid the door closed. She contemplated how she was going to wake them, and she decided to use the method that Jen usually used whenever she woke them up while staying at the Burrow.

She walked over to her two sleeping friends and gently stroked Jen's hair. Jen stirred slightly, but did not wake up. "Jen, wake up," Hermione whispered in her older friends ear. Jen opened her eyes and smiled at Hermione, who returned the smile. Hermione then gestured to the position that she and George were lying in and Jen blushed a deep shade of red. She began to sit up, which only caused George to wake up too.

"What's going on? Where'd you come from, Hermione?" George asked her as he stretched his arms behind his head.

"Well, you both fell asleep and I was just waking you up to let you know that we will be there momentarily and neither of you have changed yet," she told them as she winked at Jen, who smiled in return. George thanked her and left the compartment to go change, which gave Hermione a chance to talk to Jen.

"So what was that all about?" Jen blushed at Hermione's question, but shrugged her shoulders as she pulled out her school robes. "Come on, Jen. I saw the look on your face when I pointed out the position that you and George were laying in. you like him, don't you?" she asked. Jen just looked at her. "Come on, Jen. I won't tell."

"Just like I won't tell anyone that you like Ron, even though you won't admit it to anyone," Jen said with a smug look. Hermione immediately turned red. "Come on, 'Mione. I won't tell," she said in a mocking tone.

"If I admit it, will you?" Hermione asked hopefully, which made Jen laugh.

"I don't have to admit anything to you since you just admitted that you like Ron." Hermione's mouth dropped open. She couldn't believe that she had just been tricked into admitting that she liked Ron. "Don't worry, 'Mione. I promise that I won't tell anyone. I'll tell you a secret though. I do like George." Hermione squealed with delight when she heard this.

"That's so cute. Don't worry, your secret's safe with me."

"It better be, or I'll hex you." Hermione laughed lightly at Jen's comment. She knew that there was only one student at Hogwarts that knew more magic than she did and that person was Jen.

"Can I tell Ginny?"

"No, I'm going to tell her, but you can be there when I do," Jen told her.

"Are you going to tell George?"

"No. He's too good of a friend and he doesn't see as anything more than that. Besides, I might be moving and there would be no point to start something," Jen told her sadly. Hermione patted her friends back. She knew that George liked her, but it was not her place to say anything.

"Am I interrupting something?" George asked as he walked back into the compartment and smiled at the two girls. Hermione noticed how George's eyes lit up when he looked at Jen. She sighed and said good bye so that she could go to her own compartment and get her things.

Just after she left, the train began to slow down. Fred and Lee had returned to collect their belongings. Once off the train, the four friends got into a carriage and headed up to the castle.

"It's good to be home," Jen said as they walked through the great oak doors. Lee, Fred and George agreed with her. They walked into the Great Hall and made their way to the Gryffindor table. _Why does George always have to sit next to me?_ After all of the students had taken their seats, Professor McGonagall brought in the first years for the Sorting Ceremony.

After the Sorting was over, Professor Dumbledore gave his annual start of term speech. He introduced the new defense against the Dark Arts teacher, some toad looking woman named Deloris Umbridge. After his speech and her unwanted one, the plates in front of us magically filled themselves and all of the students tucked into their meal. When the food was gone, all of the students left to go to their dormitories.

Fred, George, Lee, Ron and Harry decided to play Exploding Snap once they got there. Hermione and Ginny sat on the couch near the fireplace and talked about their summer, and Jen had decided to go to bed. After she had gone upstairs, Ron decided to teas his brother a little bit about what he saw on the train.

"So did you have a nice nap on the train, George?" he asked with a smirk. George looked up at his brother with confusion clearly showing on his face. Fred and Lee tried to suppress their giggles while Harry wore a look of confusion. Upon hearing Ron's question, Hermione and Ginny turned around and looked at George with interest.

"It was fine. I only slept for about an hour," he told them as his ears went slightly red. He knew what they were referring to, but he didn't feel like talking about it. He was too depressed about the fact that she might be moving. "I'm going to go to bed. See you all at breakfast," he told them as he headed up the stairs.

All of them stared after him with bewildered expressions. Hermione, however, understood why George felt this way. She wished that she could tell George to go and talk to Jen, but she couldn't. She knew, as well as Fred, Ron and Lee, that he liked her, but only she knew that Jen liked him back.

Over the next several weeks, neither George nor Jen made any obvious showing of their attraction to the other. To those who did not know, you wouldn't have thought twice about the two of them liking each other. Only those who knew were able to see the subtle glances and smiles that they gave each other. It was twice as easy for Hermione, since she could spot them from both of them and not just one.

One night, after Jen had beaten George in a game of wizard's chess and then gone to bed, Fred tried to convince George to tell her how he felt about her.

"I can't, Fred. What would be the point? I'll tell her and then she'll end up moving and then it would have all been for nothing," George told him sadly.

"I still think you should tell her. You'll feel better after you do," he said in a low voice. Ron and Harry were sitting at a table not too far away from where they were sitting. Fred knew that Ron knew about George liking Jen, but Harry didn't know and George didn't know that Ron knew.

"I just can't. Please understand that. Besides, she's one of my best friends and I don't want to mess that up."

"You sound just like I do, George," Ron said as he and Harry came up behind him, causing George to jump.

"What are you talking about, Ron?" At this point, Ron and Harry had each taken a seat at the table that Fred and George were sitting at.

"I know that you like Jen and I understand why you don't want to tell her because of you two being best friends, but I don't understand why you won't tell her because she's moving. If Hermione was about to move away, I would want her to know how I felt about her. Then I wouldn't have to waste all of the time that she was gone wondering if she felt the same way," Ron told him.

"I've been trying to get him to tell Hermione for two years now and he still hasn't," Harry added, giving Ron a look.

"I have an idea. Why don't you talk to Hermione about this? She's a girl; she might know what to do or how to approach the situation," Ron told his brother.

"I'll tell you what. I'll ask Hermione for advice only if little Ronnikins tells her how he feels about her," George said with a smirk.

"How about you wait and see if her father even takes the job before you go getting yourself all worked up. If he does, then you don't have to tell her. But if he doesn't, than you do," Fred said.

"And Ron will tell Hermione how he feels," Harry added. Ron gave him a playful hit on the arm.

"All right, it's a deal. George will tell Jen if I tell Hermione. Now I'm going to bed. We've got Defense Against the Dark Arts with the Umbridge witch in the morning and I don't need points taken or extra homework. See you all at breakfast," Ron said as he stood up. They all followed him up the stairs and into their dormitories.

As November 1st drew nearer, everyone was getting anxious about finding out whether Jen was going to be moving or not. She had received a letter from her father already, telling her that she would receive a letter on the first of November if they were moving or not. George was dreading that day more than the others were. It was on that day that he would either be finding out the girl that he has loved for the past four years is leaving him forever, or that he would have to tell her that he has loved her for four years. One night, after dinner, George decided to take Ron's advice and ask Hermione for her advice on the entire situation.

"Can I talk to you for a minute, Hermione?" George asked her as she was about to leave the common room.

"Sure. I'm on my way to the library, so you can talk to me on the way," she told him as she readjusted the bag that was slung over her shoulder. He nodded and they both left the common room. Just as they had left the common room, Jen came downstairs from her room. She saw Ron and Harry, who were playing a game of wizard' chess, sitting at one of the tables near the window. She plopped into one of the chairs at their table and watched their game. It ended not too long after she sat down. Being good at chess, knowing that Ron was one of the best chess players at Hogwarts, and seeing as how she never played him before, Jen challenged Ron to a game. Slightly surprised, Ron agreed to the game.

George and Hermione's Conversation

"So what did you want to talk to me about, George?"

"I needed to ask your advice about something," he started. She looked surprised, but that look turned into a pleased smile as she gestured for him to continue. "Well, since you know that I have a thing for Jen, I wanted to ask your advice on whether I should tell her or not," he said to her. Hermione stopped walking and turned to look at him.

"You were wondering if you should tell one of your best friends that you have feeling beyond that of a friendship, right?" she asked. He nodded his head in response. "When it comes to friendship, it's hard because you don't want things to get all weird. However, if you don't tell that person, you'll never know. They might even feel the same way about you. I know how you feel." Hermione knew that Jen liked George, but it wasn't her place to say anything.

"What do you mean you know how I feel? Did you just admit to me that you like my brother?" he asked her with raised eyebrows.

"Yeah, I guess I did. But you can't say anything to him," she told him as her face turned a brilliant shade of red. She didn't mean to tell him that, but she slipped.

"So why don't you take your own advice and tell him that?" George asked her, knowing very well that Ron has had a crush on her for three years.

"For the same reason why you won't tell Jen, but without the moving part," she told him.

"What would you say if I told you that my brother has had a crush on you for three years?"

"I'd probably say that you'd need your head examined."

"Well I don't need my head checked, but I am going to tell you that my brother has had a crush on you for three years. I swear on the life on my entire family that I am telling you the truth. So maybe we aren't in the same boat after all," he told her as she started to cry.

She couldn't believe that he had just told her that Ron has liked her for three years. She's liked Ron for the same amount of time. This was a lot of information for her to process. She leaned against the wall for support because she didn't think that she would be able to stand up by herself. _I can't believe that Ron's liked me for three years. And he never said anything. I can't believe that neither of us ever told the other._

"I have to go talk to him. I'll talk to you later, George," she told him as she took off towards their common room. George took off after her, if she was going to talk to Ron; he wanted to be there to see it.

He caught up with her just as the Fat Lady was opening the portrait. When they entered the common room, they saw Jen, Ron and Harry sitting at one of the tables near the window. Jen and Ron were playing a game chess and Ron didn't look happy about it. George whispered for Hermione to wipe the tears from her eyes and to go and talk to him. The two of them approached the table just as Jen had declared checkmate. Ron couldn't believe it; he had never lost a game of chess to anyone. He looked up to see Hermione's tear stained face looking at him.

"Are you okay, 'Mione?" he asked her.

"I need to talk to you," she said to him. He stood up and followed her out of the common room.

"What was that all about?" Jen asked George as he sat down across from her. He smiled at her.

"Let's just say that something is about to happen that should've happened a long time ago," he told them both with a laugh.

"What did you do, George?" Harry asked him. He had a feeling that a fight was coming.

"Well, Hermione accidentally admitted to me that she liked Ron, so I accidentally told her that he has liked her for the past three years. She didn't believe me at first, but I assured her that I wasn't lying. I told her to talk to him and that is what she is doing as we speak," he told them both with a huge grin.

A few moments later, Ron and Hermione walked into the common room, both of them wearing identical looks of pleasure. They walked over to where Jen, George and Harry were sitting. Hermione gave George a kiss on the cheek and Ron playfully punched him in the arm. They both sat down as Jen stood up.

"I'm going to bed. See you guys tomorrow. And I'll take that rematch tomorrow, Ron," she told him with a smirk. Ron turned red at her words. He still could not believe that she had beaten him in chess.

"Nice job, George. You did that on purpose, didn't you?" Harry asked him once Jen was out of sight.

"What are you talking about, Harry?" Hermione asked him. George went red, but said nothing.

"He purposely 'let it slip' to you that Ron liked you so that you would go and talk to him about it."

"I don't see why that is a bad thing though," Hermione said. Ron finally aught on to what Harry was getting at.

"But now he doesn't have to worry about telling Jen how he feels because I didn't tell you first," Ron said. Hermione was clearly confused by what they were saying and George remained silent. "George and I made a deal. We both agreed that he would tell Jen once I told you, but I didn't tell you so now he doesn't have to tell her."

I can't believe that you did that, George. Don't get me wrong, I'm glad that Ron and I are finally together, but it wasn't right for you to weasel your way out of telling Jen the truth," she told him in a very good Mrs. Weasley impression.

"It doesn't matter anymore. Tomorrow is November 1st and she'll be getting the letter from her parents telling her that they are moving. I did myself a favor, not to mention the both of you. If it was left up to you two, you would be thirty before you admitted your feeling to each other," he told them as he fought very hard to hold back his tears. He hated the thought of her leaving without knowing, but he knew that it would only make it harder.

"But what if-" Harry began.

"There's no what ifs, Harry. She's leaving and there is nothing I can do about it. I'm going to bed," he muttered as he headed for the stairs. As he ascended the stairs, he wiped away the fresh tears that had just begun to fall down his face.

"If only he knew," Hermione sighed as she sat down of the sofa. Ron and Harry followed her.

"If only he knew what?" Harry asked.

"Nothing, I just wish that he would tell her and get it over with. He'll kick himself in the arse if she felt the same way. I don't think it should matter that she is moving. She could always come back after she graduates if she felt the same way," she told them. She realized that she had almost slipped about Jen's feelings for George. "I'm going to bed too. Night guys," she said as she stood up. She gave Ron a kiss on the lips and then disappeared up the stairs.

"So you and Hermione, huh?" Harry asked him with a smile.

"Will you be okay with that?"

"It will take some time getting used to, but I will be. I always knew you two would get together. Just don't go and snog her in front of me, okay?" Harry told him with a smirk. Ron hit him in the arm. "I think we should go to bed, too." Ron agreed and they both went to bed.

The next morning, George was in a foul mood. His mood worsened when the morning mail arrived, though he brightened when Archimedes, Jen's family owl, didn't bring her a letter.

"Archimedes didn't come! I guess we aren't going after all," she exclaimed once all of the owls had vacated the Great Hall. Hermione, Ron, Harry, Lee and Fred all gave George an I-told-you-so look.

"Come on guys. It's time for class," he said as he stood up. He realized that his friends were right and he decided to tell her after dinner.

For the rest of the day, George replayed what he was going to say to her over and over in his head. She had left dinner early because she had forgotten something in the library, so she told them that she would meet them all back in the common room.

George was the last person to get to the common room that night. And when he got there, he saw a sight that he never expected to see. Jen, Hermione and Ginny were sitting on the floor in front of the fire. Harry and Ron were sitting on the sofa and Fred and Lee were sitting in the armchairs.

"What did I miss?" George asked as he walked towards his friends. He noticed a crumbled piece of parchment laying on the floor in front of Jen, whose face was splotchy and puffy, indicating that she had been crying. "What's going on?"

"Jen just received a letter from her mother. They are going to be moving to America and her last day at Hogwarts is the last day of the term," Hermione told him sadly.


	2. Final GoodByes

12

Chapter 2

Final Good-Byes

It took George a few minutes to process what Hermione had just told him. _I can't believe it. I was right after all. I knew that it was too good to be true. This can't be happening._ With that last thought, George turned around and fled the common room.

"George, wait!" Fred cried, but it was too late. He was already gone. Fred sighed, looked at the others and shrugged his shoulders. Jen looked up at Fred's words.

"Where did George go?" she asked in a small voice. He just shook his head at her.

"I have no idea. Hermione told him the bad news and he took off," he responded solemnly.

"I hope he's not mad at me for having to move," she said as fresh tears began to spill from her eyes. "I can't believe they are doing his to me. I don't want to leave Hogwarts and move to America. I love it here," she said as she buried her face in her hands and cried. Ginny and Hermione put their arms around their older friend and hugged her tightly. "This place is my home." Hermione looked up at Ron, who looked just as upset as she did. Then he looked at Fred, who was standing up.

"I'm going to look for him," Fred said to them all. Lee, Harry and Ron stood as well.

"We're coming with you," Ron said as lee and Harry nodded in agreement. Jen had started to cry again and Hermione and Ginny just gave the boys concerned looks. The four boys left the common room to begin their search.

IN THE CORRIDOR

"I think we'd do this faster if we split up and look for him," Fred told them once they had stepped out of the common room.

"I'll check the grounds and at Hagrid's," Ron told them as he pulled on his jumper.

"I'll check the first two floors," Harry said.

"I'll check the third and fourth floors," Lee told them.

"And I'll check the top floors. Then we'll meet back here and then we'll all check the towers," Fred said.

"And hurry. It's almost curfew and we don't Filch or Umbridge to catch us," Harry reminded them as they each went their separate ways.

BACK IN THE COMMON ROOM

Hermione and Ginny were trying to comfort Jen, but they weren't doing a very good job. Neither of them could believe that George had just left the common room without saying a word.

"I can't believe this. They knew that I didn't want to go. I've sent them countless letters begging them not to," she sobbed.

"It'll be okay. You'll see," Hermione told her as she stroked Jen's hair. She gave Ginny a worried look.

"And now George is mad at me. I don't need this right now. I don't need my best friend not talking to me before I go. That's not how I wanted to leave it with him."

"And exactly _how_ did you want to leave it with him?" Ginny asked her crying friend with raised eyebrows. Jen looked up at the younger girl and wiped her tears.

"What are you talking about, Ginny?" The redhead smiled at her and shrugged her shoulders.

"You know what I mean. I know that you like my brother." Jen was clearly confused by what Ginny had said. She looked at Hermione, who quickly shook her head and put up her hands in defense.

"Don't look at me like that. I have no idea what she is talking about," Hermione told the older girl. Jen just looked at her and then back to Ginny.

"Relax Jen. She didn't tell me anything. I figured it out by myself. I could tell by the way you look at him. I won't tell, I swear. So now tell me, how _did_ you want to leave it with him?"

Jen sighed and wiped away her tears. "Well, I had planned on telling him how I felt before graduation. No matter what would happen after we left here, I would have wanted him to know. But now… there's no point. I'm moving away and I couldn't bear to tell him and then leave him. It would break my heart even more than it already is and I don't want to go through that." She began crying again and Hermione and Ginny exchanged glances. They felt so sorry for their friend; especially since they knew how George felt about her.

"Why don't we talk about something else? All this crying is depressing me. I feel like reminiscing," Hermione told the girls. The other two agreed and they sat in front of the fire talking about all of the good times they have shared since they met.

AROUND THE SCHOOL

Fred had checked the top floors of the school, but there was no sign of his twin brother. He headed back to the entrance to Gryffindor Tower to wait for the others to return.

Lee had searched the third and fourth floors, but could not find George. He headed back to the portrait of the Fat Lady so that he could meet up with the others.

Harry had searched he bottom two floors of the castle. There was no sign of George anywhere. Feeling disappointed and angry, he went back towards the Gryffindor common room so that he could help the others search the towers.

Ron had checked with Hagrid, but the friendly giant was unable to help him. He had checked he grounds near the school, not thinking that George would wander far beyond the castle walls, and found no sign of George. He wondered how the others were doing and began to walk towards the castle. Before doing so, he decided to check one last place. He knew it was a long shot, but he decided to do it anyway and set out for the Quidditch pitch. As he neared the stadium, he saw a figure sitting in the middle of the field. Once he was close enough, he noticed that it was George who was sitting there.

"George, what the bloody hell are you doing out here? Fred, Lee and Harry are roaming the castle right now trying to find you."

"I'm sorry, Ron. I'm sorry for running out of the common room before. I was just upset."

"Upset about what exactly?"

"Jen's leaving."

"I know that she is leaving, but what does that have to do with why you ran out of the common room and are now sitting in the middle of the pitch?"

"After the mail came this morning and Jen didn't receive a letter from her parents, I was so happy. That meant that she wasn't moving away and that she was going to be staying here with me. I could finally tell her how I feel."

"But you said not too long ago that you weren't going to tell her either way."

"I wasn't, but then, at breakfast, I figured that I would. I had decided that I would tell her after dinner. I spent the entire day replaying the words over and over in my head, trying to find the right words to say to her. After I finally figured out what I was going to say, I headed back to the common room once dinner was over. But when I got there…" he trailed off.

"You found out that she was leaving." Ron finished as he sat down next to his brother.

"Yeah, I was so blown by the news that I couldn't take being there. There were too many thoughts and emotions running through my mind that I needed to go somewhere to think. So I decided to come here; the only place where I have some clarity. I didn't mean to upset anyone or make people go out looking for me."

"It's okay, George. But you do know that Jen thinks that you are mad at her." George's eyes widened at what Ron had just told him.

"Does she really? I'm not mad at her; it just hurts too much to be around her right now. I love her so much… and she's leaving." A silent tear trickled down George's cheek. Ron couldn't think of anything to say to his older brother, so he didn't. The two of them sat there for a few minutes, until Ron realized what time it was and stood up.

"We better get back before Filch or Umbridge catch us out here after curfew. I don't want to think about what will happen to us and/or how many points we'd lose Gryffindor if that happens." George nodded his head in agreement and the two of them returned to their dormitory.

When they arrived at the entrance to their dormitory, Harry, Fred and Lee were not there. _They must be in the common room,_ Ron thought to himself. George muttered the password and they walked in to find Fred and Harry playing wizard's chess with Lee watching them while Ginny and Hermione sat in front of the fire talking animatedly. They both noticed that Jen was not present.

"George Arthur Weasley, where have you been?" Ginny yelled when she saw her two brothers enter the common room. Hermione gave him a dirty look; Harry and Fred stopped their game and the three boys turned to look at Ron and George. George turned red and looked at Ron, who just shrugged his shoulders.

"I'm sorry," he mumbled as he dropped himself into one of the armchairs near the fire and stared into it. Ron sat down in the chair across from his brother.

"Sorry? Is that all you can say? How could you do that? What were you thinking? You just ran out of here without a word. I can't believe you. I'm in my right mind to hex you! Why would you-" she never got to finish her sentence because George was now on his feet and yelling at her.

"Because I love her! Because I'm a selfish prat that doesn't want her to leave! Because I was going to tell her how much I love her when I came into the common room earlier! Because one of my best friends is moving away and I don't know if I'll ever see her again!" At this point, all of them were staring at George in shock. He rarely spoke out like that, and George was clearly not finished yet. He continued to yell at his sister as several tears escaped his eyes. "So tell me what I should do, dear sister? Should I confess my love to her and then watch her walk out of my life forever? Or should I just pretend like I feel nothing and watch her walk out of my life forever? Pick one! No matter which one it is, she's still going to be walking out of my life forever!" With those last few words, George fled the common room to find haven in his room.

No one spoke for a few minutes. They were all still in shock by what George had said. Ginny, Ron and especially Fred had never seen or heard their brother behave like that before. Harry and Lee sat there wearing identical looks of surprise; they could no believe that George had just blown up like that. Hermione, on the other hand, was looking at Ron. She was thankful that they were finally together. He looked up at her and smiled. She returned his smile and then moved to where he was sitting so that she could sit with him.

As Hermione and Ron got comfortable in the chair, Ginny sat on the couch and stared into the fire. She was still in shock by way George had just acted. "I can't believe he yelled like that," she said aloud.

Ron and Hermione looked over at her and Fred, Lee and Harry joined them by the fire; the chess game forgotten.

"I know what you mean, Gin. I don't think I've ever seen George that angry," Ron said to his sister.

"I've never heard him yell like that either," Lee added.

Fred chuckled. "I've never heard him yell period. He's always been the quiet one."

"That's true. I don't ever recall hearing George yell," Hermione said thoughtfully.

"This can only mean one thing then," Ginny said with a smile. Fred had gotten up from his seat next to his sister and went back over to where the unfinished game of chess was and began putting the pieces away.

"And what is that exactly," Harry asked her with raised eyebrows.

"That George is totally and completely head over heels in love with Jen," Fred said as he abandoned the chess set again and sat down in his previously vacated chair.

"I couldn't have said it better myself," Ginny replied.

"It's just a shame that she's leaving in just over a month. They would've made a really cute couple," Hermione said.

"I agree with you, Hermione. Then both of them could get what they want," Ginny said, adding that last sentence in a lower voice.

"What's that supposed to mean, Ginny?" Ron asked her; he apparently heard what she had said under breath. Hermione gave Ginny a stern look that told her not to tell them about Jen liking George, but Ginny only smiled sweetly at her.

"Nothing. I only meant that Jen would get to stay here with us and George would get to tell her how he feels," she answered.

Hermione stood up and stretched as she let out a sigh of relief. She was glad that Ginny didn't tell Jen's secret. She told everyone else that she was going to bed and Ron followed her.

Ginny smiled as she watched Hermione and Ron walk up the stairs. "I'm so glad those two finally got together. They really do make a cute couple," she said as she stood up.

"Yeah they do. I'm happy for them too. Maybe now they won't fight as much," Harry said hopefully.

"I doubt it," Fred muttered Lee, Harry and Ginny all laughed at Fred's comment.

"Goodnight guys," Ginny said as she headed for the stairs. They boys said goodnight and then Harry and Lee helped Fred finish putting away the chess set.

"So how do you think the next month and a half are going to be?" Harry asked them both.

"I don't know. But I hope that my brother comes around and gets over this. If he doesn't want to talk to her or be around her for the rest of the time that she is here, it's going to be a horrible time. She'll be moping and so will he. I don't even want to think about this right now. I'm gonna go to bed and I will see you two in the morning," Fred said to his friends. They both nodded and followed him up the staircase.

The next morning, George was not at breakfast. They all figured that he didn't want to be around any of then because of what had happened the night before. Jen had no idea about what had transpired that night in the common room, and none of them were opting to tell her. She still thought that he was mad at her for having to leave.

Hermione, sensing that Jen was going to ask them about George, decided to head her off by talking about something else. "You're going to be going to the Salem School of Magic, right?" They all looked at Hermione when she asked Jen this question. "What? I've never heard about any of the other wizarding schools besides Durmstrang and Beauxbatons. I was curious," she told them with a defending tone.

Jen didn't really want to talk about her moving, but she decided that it would help take her mind off of George and the fact that he was mad her. "That's right. I got a bunch of stuff on the school while were there this summer, just in case we ended up moving there. They have all of the same classes as we do here, but the school itself is set up and run differently."

"How so?" Hermione asked as she leaned closer to her friend.

"Well, they don't have four houses like we do here; they call them covens, and there are only three of them. They compete for points like we do and they hold Quidditch the same we do here, except it is between three covens instead of four houses." Jen paused to take a bite of her toast and a sip of her pumpkin juice. "They also have a sorting like we do; only they don't have a hat. They use an enchanted broom that turns the color of the coven you will be in; all you have to do is hold it."

"That's really interesting," Ginny said; Hermione nodded in agreement.

"Yeah it is. I just wish I didn't have to go. I want to stay here with all of you." At that moment, George came strolling into the Great Hall. "Morning, George," Jen said in her cheeriest voice.

He grabbed a piece of toast and shoved it in his mouth as the chime sounded for the students to head toward their first classes. Without a word, he left the Great Hall for his first class of the day. Jen sat there for a minute with a puzzled expression on her face. It wasn't until Fred pulled her to her feet that she snapped out of her daze. Jen, Fred and Lee followed George to their Potions class.

"Why is George ignoring me?" she asked Fred and Lee as they neared the dungeons.

Fred looked at her and sighed. He didn't want to tell her why he was really ignoring her. "I know that he is upset about you moving to America.

"I'm probably more upset than he is. But why does he have to ignore me?

"He's afraid that he'll never see you again. You _are_ his best friend; he fears that the distance will kill your friendship," Fred said softly as they took their seats next to Lee, who was sitting next to George.

"Then how come he's the only one ignoring me? No one else is." Thankfully, Fred was saved from having to answer her question because Professor Snape had entered the classroom and began the daily lesson.

For the next few weeks, each day was the same. George would show up to breakfast with just enough time to grab a piece of toast before heading to class. Then he would wolf down his lunch and dinner and quickly leave the great Hall for whatever reason he could muster.

Jen didn't know what to think about all of this, but she gave up asking. None of them ever gave her an answer besides that he is upset about her leaving. She knew that it was something else, but left it alone because she wouldn't get far with her questioning. She had eventually grown accustomed to George avoiding and ignoring her.

Soon, the Christmas holiday was upon them and so was Jen's scheduled departure. George's appearances grew less; spending an unusual amount of time either on the library or on the Quidditch pitch. The night before she was supposed to leave, all of Gryffindor house threw a party for her. Fred, Lee, Harry and Ron had snuck some butterbeer from Hogsmeade for the occasion. George would have normally gone with them, but he was too busy sulking to go.

As the night progressed, Jen began to get upset at the fact that George was not present. All though she had gotten used to him ignoring her, she thought that he would at least come and say good-bye to her. It had become noticeable to Ginny and Hermione that Jen was upset and they went over to try and cheer her up.

"Sorry for being so down at my party, but I can't stop thinking about George. He hasn't said one word to me since I got that stupid letter from my parents back in the beginning of November. I'm leaving in the morning and I would really like to at least say good-bye to my best friend," Jen told her friends. They both looked at each other and then at Jen.

Don't worry, Jen. He'll get over this," Hermione assured her. "I'll be right back." Hermione walked over to where Ron, Harry, Fred and Lee were standing. "Do any of you know where George is?"

"He's up in his room, love," Ron told her. She kissed him lightly on the lips and then headed for the boy's dormitory.

As she entered the seventh year boys' dormitory, Hermione found George sitting on his bed with an empty bottle of Firewhiskey and several empty bottle of butterbeer lying on the floor beside his bed. When he saw her, he gave her a goofy grin.

"George Weasley, what in the name of Merlin are you doing up here?"

"I'm celebrating hic just like everyone hic else." He was obviously drunk and Hermione was getting mad.

"Then why don't you come down and join the rest of us? I know Jen wants you to."

George shook his head furiously. "I can't go down there."

"Why not?"

"You wouldn't understand," he muttered.

"What wouldn't I understand?"

"You don't know what it's like, Hermione. You don't have to worry about Ron moving away and not knowing how you feel about him."

"You know what, you're right about that, George. I don't have to worry about Ron not knowing how I feel about him. I have you to thank for that part. And I don't have to worry about him moving away because if he was, I would tell him anyway, that way he wouldn't have to leave without knowing. Besides, if he were moving, you would be to and you would still be in the same boat that you are in now." He looked away from her. He knew that she was right but he didn't want to admit that to her. "Why won't you just go down there? I know you want to."

"No, Hermione, I don't. I have no desire to go down to the common room and celebrate the fact that my best friend and the woman I love is waling out of my life tomorrow. Thanks, but no thanks. Now if you'll excuse me, I was in the middle of something," he told to her coldly as he lifted a newly opened bottle of butterbeer to his lips. She flashed him an angry look and got up from where she was sitting and walked over to the door. She was about to leave the room, but she had one more thing to say to him.

She turned around with anger clearly in her face and voice and said, "You know what, George? You're nothing but a selfish prat. For the last month and a half, you have done nothing but avoid and ignore Jen, making the both of you completely miserable. You claim to love her so much, yet you don't even show it. I know that you are upset about her leaving, we all are. But that's no reason to treat her the way you have been. I really hope that you will at least say good-bye to her. I think it's the least you can do. But first, you really need to suck it up and GET OVER IT!" with those last few words, Hermione stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind her. George was left sitting on his bed, thinking about what she had just said to him.

Hermione headed back down to the party, but found that Jen was nowhere to be seen. When she asked where she was, Ginny had told her that Jen had gone to bed. Hermione knew that her friend was upset for various reasons and decided not to follow. The party died down soon after and they all went to bed.

The next day was a sad day for all of them. They all had walked down to the great oak doors to say good-bye to their friend. The only one who didn't show up was George.

Lee walked up to her first and gave her a hug. "I'm really gonna miss you. Now there will be no one to keep the twins in line." She laughed at what he had said and wiped away a couple of tears that had escaped her eyes.

Ginny was next; she pulled Jen into a big hug and began to cry. "You were the big sister that I never had and always wanted. I'm really going to miss you." Jen wasn't bothering to wipe away her tears anymore; she just let them flow freely. Harry walked up to her next and hugged her.

"I've always thought of you as a sister. I'll never forget you and I hope that I will see you again soon," he whispered in her ear. Ron hugged her next, telling her that he would miss playing her in chess. She told him that he would never beat her; he frowned at her comment.

Hermione, who was heavily crying, gave Jen a huge hug. "I wish that you didn't have to go. You have been there for me through everything and it hurts to know that you are no longer a floor away. I'm really going to miss you."

Last, but not least, was Fred, who scooped her up into a bear hug. "You have always been my conscience and kept me and George out of severe trouble. I don't know what I am going to do without you." She laughed at his words, but her laughter died when she noticed that George was not there to say good-bye to her. Seeing her face, Fred leaned closer to her ear and whispered, "he hasn't been taking this well since he found out. He'll come around, don't worry. He just needs some time. He really will miss you. A lot more than you could imagine." She nodded her head as fresh tears spilled from her already puffy eyes.

She picked up her trunk and put it in the carriage. Before boarding the carriage, she turned to look at the people who have been her family and friends for the last six and a half years. "I am going to miss you all so much. I will miss the laughs, the tears and hearing about the adventures. You have all been the brothers and sisters that I never had and I will never forget any of you. If you guys ever need me, I'm only an owl away." She turned to get on the coach, but stopped when she heard a familiar voice.

"Miss Henley, before you go, I have something to give you." She turned around to see the headmaster walking up to her, holding a rolled up piece of parchment. "Please do not open this until you are safely at the Salem School. Do not let anyone else read this," he whispered in her ear. She nodded and got into the carriage. She gave a final wave and the carriage pulled away from the school.

As the carriage made its way to Hogsmeade Station, she took one last look at the castle that had been her home for the last six and a half years. She looked up to where Gryffindor Tower was. "Good bye, George. I'll miss you," she said as a single tear rolled down her cheek.

As he sat by the window of her room, he watched the carriage that Jen was in take her to Hogsmeade Station. "Good bye, Jen. "I'll miss you," he said softly as a single tear rolled down his cheek.


	3. Through the Years Part 1

11

Chapter 3

Through the Years (Part 1)

Hogsmeade Station 

It was with a heavy heart that Jen boarded the Hogwarts Express for the last time. She could have Apparated to her house from Hogsmeade, but she was in no hurry to see her parents. She took a compartment to herself and watched out the window sadly as the magnificent castle that had been her home for more than six years grew further and further away.

Once the castle was out of sight, Jen put her head in her hands and began to cry silently. She hadn't even been gone for an hour and she was already homesick. Her thoughts began to wander until she found herself thinking about a certain redhead. She began to cry as she thought about him. She thought back to a happier time, when her and George were on speaking terms.

flashback

(Jen's POV)

"Dinner's ready!" I yelled out the door. Moments later, five Weasley boys, one Weasley girl and Harry came in from playing a game of Quidditch to eat the meal that Hermione Mrs. Weasley and I had prepared. George had gone to grab a biscuit, but I was too quick for him and I slapped his hand. "Don't touch! Before you guys can eat, you must go upstairs and clean up," I told them sternly.

"But I'm starving. Mum?" Ron whined as he gave his mother his puppy dog eyes.

"When are you not hungry, Ronald? But I agree with Jen and you must all go wash up before you can eat. Now, go upstairs all of you and change for dinner," she told them as she pointed to the stairs. They all groaned, but did as she said.

About ten minutes later, George's voice was heard throughout the house. "Mum, did you do my laundry?" I laughed at his question and then disappeared from the kitchen.

"No, I did not, George," Mrs. Weasley called up to him.

"Then where are my clothes?"

"I have no idea," she yelled back at him as I entered the kitchen. I was holding a basket full of George's clothes, which made Mrs. Weasley laugh.

"I'll be right back," I told her quietly. Mrs. Weasley nodded as she watched me walk up the stairs. (_Those two are so perfect for each other_, Mrs. Weasley thought to herself.)

As I reached the floor that the twins' room was on, Fred was leaving their room. He noticed the basket in my hands and laughed. "Did you take his clothes?" he asked me quietly. I didn't answer him, but I did give him a mischievous grin. "You are so bad," he told me as he disappeared down the stairs.

Without knocking, I walked into the room. "Here are you-" but I cut myself off when I saw that George was wearing only a towel. _Bloody hell he's hot. Wow!_ she thought to herself as she dropped the basket on the floor, spilling its contents. _Damn!_ she said as she bent down to pick up the clothes. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to barge in here like that. I was just giving you your clothes back," I told him as I stood up. "I'll go now," I said as I went to leave, but I was stopped when he grabbed a hold of my wrist.

"Wait, how did _you _get my clothes?" he asked me as he stared into my eyes. I looked away because I was too embarrassed to look at him.

"I took them", I told him simply.

"Why did you take them?" he asked as he took a step closer to me. My entire body stiffened when he did that. _I can't believe that he is standing this close to me and he's only wearing a towel._

"Because I wanted to play a joke on you," I told him as I took a step back. _I don't think I trust myself being this close to him while he is dressed like that_, I told myself. He took another step towards me and asked me why I wanted to play a joke on him. "Because you play jokes on everyone else and because it was funny," I told him as I took another step back and found the door handle. "See you downstairs." Once I had entered the hallway, I leaned against the wall and let out a sigh. _That was close,_ I thought to myself as I went downstairs.

end of flashback

Jen's cheeks grew warm just from remembering that moment. She wanted to kiss him so badly, but she knew that she couldn't. He was her best friend and best friends didn't kiss each other. _Unless you are Ron and Hermione,_ said a voice in her head. _But Ron and Hermione have liked each other for years. George and I haven't,_ she told the voice. _That you know of at least,_ the voice said. "Whatever," she muttered as she pulled out a piece of parchment and a quill. She had decided to write George a letter.

Back at Hogwarts 

George sat by the window in his bedroom long after Jen's carriage had left the school and the train had left Hogsmeade Station. He sat there and thought about how bad she must have felt when he didn't show up to say good-bye to her. He had wanted to go down there, but he just couldn't do it. He felt that by him saying good-bye, he was admitting that he would never see her again and it tore him up inside. Deep down, he hoped that he would see her again and that she would never forget him.

As he sat there, he thought back to happier times; times before he started to avoid Jen and before she was moving away. He found himself thinking back to the beginning of the summer when Jen, Harry and Hermione had paid the Weasleys a surprise visit to the Burrow.

flashback

(George's POV)

We had all just finished a delicious lunch than our mum had made when we heard a noise coming from the living room. When we got there, we found Harry, Hermione and Jen lying on the floor in a laughing heap.

"What's going on in here?" mum said as she walked in the room. Her eyes immediately brightened when she saw the three children lying on the floor. "What a surprise to see you three. What are you doing here?"

"We came to surprise you," Hermione told them all as she dusted herself off. "I received and owl from Jen and we decided to visit for the weekend," Hermione began.

"And they stopped and picked me up on the way," Harry added with a grin.

"But how were you able to leave the Dursley's?" Ron asked.

"I got special permission from Dumbledore, but it's only for the weekend. I have to return Harry to the Dursley's on Sunday afternoon," Jen told them. "Dumbledore told me that he must remain there until the second week of July before he can come here for the rest of the summer," she told Mrs. Weasley.

Harry went outside with us to play Quidditch in the yard while Jen and Hermione stayed inside to help mum clean up lunch and to help her make dinner. A few hours later, Jen called us in for dinner. When we all came in, I went to grab a biscuit, but Jen slapped my hand.

"Owww! That hurt, Jen," I told her as I drew my hand back.

"You can't eat until you all go upstairs and clean up," she told us. Then Ron whined to mum, but she told him that Jen was right and then sent us all upstairs. I jumped in the shower before getting dressed. But when I got to my room, I found all of my clothes missing. I asked Fred, but he told me that he didn't know anything about it.

I figured that mum had done my laundry, so I yelled downstairs to her, "Mum, did you do my laundry?" she told me that she didn't, but I still didn't know where my clothes were. "Then where are my clothes?" she told me that she didn't know, but I could have sworn that I heard her laugh.

"Tough luck, George," Fred told me with a grin as he left the room. Not even a minute later, Jen came walking into my room holding a basket of my clothes. She was apparently shocked to see me wearing only a towel because she dropped the basket and my clothes spilled onto the floor.

"She immediately bent down to pick up my clothes and the basket. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to barge in here like that. I was just giving you your clothes back," she told me as she stood up. "I'll go now." As she turned to leave, I grabbed her by the wrist to stop her. I didn't know what had come over me, but I was definitely not in control of what I was doing.

"Wait, how did _you_ get my clothes?" I heard myself ask her. I found myself taking a step towards her as I stared into her beautiful hazel eyes. She looked away from me, probably too embarrassed by my present state of dress, or lack there of. She told me that she wanted to play a joke on me, which is why she took my clothes as she backed away from me. I asked her why as I took another step towards her, still not sure as to why I was doing it.

"Because it was funny," she told me as she stepped back again and opened the door. "See you downstairs," she told me as she stepped out of my room and closed the door. After she had left, I leaned against the wall and sighed as I ran a hand through my hair. _Stupid! Now she probably thinks I'm completely nuts,_ he thought to himself. He sighed again as he rummaged through the basket of clothes she had brought up to him so that he could get dressed for dinner.

end of flashback

George sighed as he gazed out of the window. He remembered that day all to well. He still had no idea what had come over him to act like that. He knew that he would have kissed her if she hadn't left the room. _I'm glad that I didn't. It would have changed everything,_ he thought to himself. But then he thought about how it would have felt if he done it. _That would have been brilliant!_ he thought to himself as a smile crossed his lips.

Meanwhile in the Common Room

"Is George still in his room?" Harry asked as the six friends entered the common room and sat down near the fire. Hermione huffed at Harry's question' she was still upset about the conversation that she had with George the night before.

"He's probably still drunk from the night before," she said with a slight hint of anger in her voice. The others looked at her in complete surprise.

"What do you mean drunk from the night before? George doesn't drink," Fred told her with Ron, Ginny and Lee nodding in agreement.

"That may be, but he was certainly drinking quite a bit in his room last night. When I went up there to talk to him about joining the party, I saw an empty bottle of firewhisky and a few empty bottles of butterbeer. He was about to open another bottle of butterbeer when I walked in," she told them.

"That makes no sense," Harry said.

"It would if he was depressed enough about her leaving," Ginny said.

"And the fact that we were celebrating her leaving down here probably didn't help him," Fred added.

"Okay, maybe it does make sense," Ron said.

Lee, who had remained quiet the entire time, decided to change the subject a little. "I wonder what was on the parchment that Dumbledore had given Jen before she left," he said. His statement had its desired effect because they all immediately began discussing it. They talked about it for quite some time, only ending the conversation when George came downstairs.

"Hey, George, wanna play a game of chess with me?" Fred asked him. George smiled and nodded as he sat down near the chess set. Fred joined him and the others were a bit shocked by what Fred had asked him, but then they saw his logic. They all decided that they best way for George to get over this was to not bring it up at all. They knew that if he wanted to talk about it, he would when he was ready.

At King's Cross 

The Hogwarts Express pulled into King's Cross Station and Jen was not happy about it. She put her unfinished letter in her trunk and gathered her things. When she got off the train, her parents were there waiting for her. They walked up to her, but she ignored them and walked passed them and through the barrier. She was still mad at them for making her move and she wanted them to know it. She went to a safe place and Apparated home.

When she got there, she marched straight up to her room. When she got there, she threw her trunk down next to her bed and magically locked the door. She sat down at her desk and took out her unfinished letter to George and stared at it. As tears began to swell in her eyes, she continued to write her letter. When she had finished it, she sealed the parchment and tied it to her owl Isabella and watched her fly out the window and into the night. As Jen lay on her bed, she cried. She cried so much, that she eventually cried herself to sleep.

Back at Hogwarts 

By the next morning, George seemed to be in better spirits. The only one who knew better was Fred. He knew that George was still depressed about the fact that Jen had left, but that he was masking it to everyone. Fred knew that George was never good at showing his emotions; something that Ron shared too.

When they had all arrived at breakfast that morning, there was an owl waiting at the Gryffindor table; coincidentally waiting in front of the seat that George usually sat in. once seated, George looked at the owl and then at the envelope attached to its leg.

"That owl looks very familiar, doesn't it?" Ginny asked. George had taken the envelope and gave the owl a piece of bacon, knowing that it was the owl's favorite treat. He reluctantly opened the letter and read it.

"Yeah it does. Isn't that Jen's owl, Isabella?" Hermione asked as she placed a couple of pieces of toast and some bacon on both hers and Ron's plate.

Noticing the look on George's face, Fred leaned closer to his brother and asked, "What does it say?" George didn't answer; he only took a piece of toast and left the Great Hall. Since he left the letter on the table, Fred picked it up and began to read it softly to the others.

_Dearest George,_

_I am writing you this letter as I take my last train ride home. It feels weird to be doing this without you, Fred and Lee. I always imagined my last train ride consisting of watching you three play with your latest inventions or us all playing Exploding Snap or some other game. I never expected to be taking this ride alone and with a heavy heart._

_This brings me to the main purpose of this letter. What happened between us? When we first became friends, I know it was a bit awkward since I was the only girl of our small group of friends. Over time, the four of us (you, me, Fred and Lee) became inseparable. But something has happened between us recently and I can't explain it. When you found out that I was moving, you began to ignore and avoid me. I understand that you are upset that I have to leave, but I think that I am more upset that you are. I am the one being ripped away from the only home I have known and from the people that I love. I begged my parents countless times to not go, but they never cared about what I wanted. I tried to stay here, but Dumbledore told me that I had to go. He never told me why, he just told me that I had to._

_With you ignoring me, I have begun to feel empty inside. Every time I tried to talk to you, you would find something to distract you and then you would walk away without a word. You would avoid me in the common room and at meal. I got the feeling that you were mad at me. I was confused as to why you would be mad at me for something that I have no control over. I do hope that you can get over this and be my best friend again. Now that I am no longer there, I need you more than ever._

_I am now sitting in my bedroom at home. As I look around, I see all of the years that I have spent both in this room and at Hogwarts. I think about all of the fun times we have all shared, from the Quidditch World Cup and creating Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes to the pranks that you would pull in school and me scolding you three for them. I don't want them to end here, the same way that I don't want our friendship to end here. You mean too much to me for that to happen. You are my greatest friend and I cherish you more than you could ever imagine. Being your friend has given me so much and I don't want that to die._

_I know that you fear that our friendship will die by me moving away, but I do not want that to happen. The only way that will happen will be if you continue the silence that you have created between us. You are my best friend and I love you with all my heart. I truly hope that I hear from you soon. Until then…_

_Love always_

_Jen_

_PS Tell the others I said hello and that I will send them their Christmas gifts soon._

Fred finished reading the letter and looked up at his silent friends.

"That was so sweet," Hermione said with a dreamy look. Ron smiled at her and wrapped his arms around her waist.

"I really hope that he writes her back," Ginny said. She shot a quick glance in Harry's direction, but luckily for her he didn't see it.


	4. Through the Years Part 2

13

Chapter 4

Through the Years (Part 2)

Britain – 12 Grimmauld Place – the end of the Christmas holiday 

Everyone had returned from seeing Mr. Weasley at St. Mungo's. They were all pretty happy because they were told that he would be coming home in a couple of days. Mrs. Weasley had set out some sandwiches for everyone to snack on.

After eating their lunches, the five friends tried to keep themselves busy. Hermione and Ginny were each reading a book by the fire while Harry and Ron finished up their holiday homework, occasionally asking Hermione for help. The twins were playing a game of wizard's chess and it was at this time that Fred decided to talk to George about writing Jen a response to the letter that he had received at the start of the holiday.

"So, are you going to write back to Jen, George?" he asked him as he finished his turn. George didn't look at him; he only took his turn and waited for Fred to do the same. "By the way, you left the letter she had sent you on the table in the Great Hall that day. We all know what it said and we all think that you should write her back."

This time, George looked at his brother and then at the others, who had all stopped what they were doing and were now staring at him, with anger in his eyes. "You read my letter?"

"I asked you what it said, but you didn't answer me. You just left the table, leaving the letter behind. So I read it," Fred told him calmly.

"You had no right reading that letter," George told him angrily. He stood up to leave, but Fred was too quick. He had already stood up and grabbed a hold of George's arm.

"You aren't leaving yet. You have to talk about this," Fred told him with anger rising in his voice. George wouldn't look at him; he just stared at the floor. "George, why are you being like this? Is it that hard for you to write her back?" Fred asked him softly.

"You have no idea how I feel so why don't you just bugger off!" George yelled as he wretched his arm free of Fred's hold and started to leave again. Fred grabbed his arm again, but George didn't want to hear it. "SOD OFF!!!!!" he screamed as he turned around and punched Fred in the face. He stormed out of the room as the others rushed over to where Fred had fallen to make sure he was okay. After wiping the blood that had begun to trickle from the corner of his mouth, Fred grabbed a piece of parchment and a quill and began scribbling furiously. After he had finished, he asked Ron if he could borrow Pig. Ron agreed and Fred sent the letter off.

George walked into his bedroom and slammed the door behind him. He sat on his bed and thought about everything that had happened recently. He put his head in his hands and silently screamed. _I can't believe I just punched my brother. What the bloody hell was I thinking? All this over writing a stupid letter._ He got up and began pacing. _Why am I acting like this? Why can't I just write to her?_ He thought to himself. _Just write her a letter. You know you want to,_ a voice in the back of his mind told him. _I won't,_ he told the voice. _But you love her. Don't just let her go like this,_ the voice told him. _No, I can't do it. I love her more than anything, but I cannot do this,_ he told the voice. _Then you have already lost her,_ the voice told him. George shook with rage at the battle taking place within his head; using that rage, he punched the wall. He had left a small hole in the wall and blood had started to run from a fresh wound in his hand. He fixed the wall with a flick of his wand as he sighed heavily and plopped down on his bed; eventually falling asleep.

George's Dream

When George Apparated home from work, he was immediately knocked down by a small child with blazing red hair and vibrant hazel eyes.

"Daddy!" the young child exclaimed as he gave George a huge hug.

"Hey Kyle. How was your day today?"

The little boy smiled. "It was great. I spent all morning and part of the afternoon with grandma. She took me into Diagon Alley to buy some things and then she took me back to the Borrow for lunch. She told me stories about what you were like when you were younger," he told his father excitedly as he stood up.

George laughed at what his son had just told him. "She did, did she?" he said as he stood up too. He knew that Kyle loved hearing stories about his parents, uncles and his aunt when they were little.

"Yeah, and then mommy came to pick me up and she told me some stories about you too," he said as they neared the kitchen.

"Oh she did, did she?" he said as he caught sight of his wife standing in front of the stove.

"Oh I did what?" she asked without turning around. George walked up to her and put his arms around her waist, rubbing her very pregnant belly.

"Telling Kyle stories about me when I was younger."

"Well, Molly was telling him. I only filled in on some of the things that she didn't know," she told him innocently.

"I'll bet you did too," he told her as he nuzzled her neck. She laughed and turned around to hug him as best as her stomach would allow.

She kissed him lightly on the lips before saying, "I love you, George."

"I love you too, Jen."

End of Dream

George sat upright in his bed, sweating profusely. _Bloody hell!_ he thought to himself. He rubbed his face with his hands and thought about the dream he had just had. _Did I just dream that Jen and I were married with a child and another one on the way?_ he asked himself. _You know that is what you want,_ the same voice from the back of his mind told him.

Before he could even think of a response to that, Fred had sat up in his bed and looked over at George. George cringed at the state of Fred's lip, which was slightly swollen and discolored. "What in the bloody hell are you doing, George?"

"Nothing, listen…" he began, not really sure of where to begin. Fred raised his eyebrows at him. "I wanted to say that I'm very sorry about what happened earlier. I lost my temper and I shouldn't have hit you. I am truly sorry. I just don't want to talk about Jen right now. If and when I decide that I want to, I will let you know. But until then, will you please just leave me alone about it?" he asked his brother with a hopeful expression.

Fred looked at him with skeptical eyes. "I accept your apology for the lip and I understand why you don't want to talk about it, so I won't bring it up again. However, I will say one last thing to you. Silence is the hardest argument to refute." George raised his eyebrows at his brother's philosophical words. "I'm not trying to sound smart or anything, but I am trying to get a point across to you. I know that you love her and that you miss her very much, but don't take her parents decision to move out on her. She is your best friend, George. Don't make her suffer for something she had no control over. Don't shut her out. This silence will only bring about bad blood between the two of you; something that I _know_ neither of you want to see happen. She needs you now, more than ever. You will regret it," he warned.

George didn't say anything at first, he just nodded. "So are we cool?" he asked warily.

Fred smiled at his brother. "Of course we are. I wouldn't be your twin otherwise." George smiled and they both went back to sleep. The next day, they would be returning to Hogwarts for the start of the new term.

Salem School - the end of the Christmas holiday 

It was the end of the Christmas holiday and Jen had been given special permission to go to school earlier than everyone else. She had already met with all of her professors and her new headmaster so that she could find out what they have covered so far and how far ahead or behind she was. She had also been sorted into her coven. The headmaster had given Jen her own room as a special favor to Dumbledore. She did not know why, but she would soon find out.

On the night before the rest of the students would return from holiday, Jen could be found lying on her bed, reading the letter that Dumbledore had given her before she had left Hogwarts.

_Dear Miss Henley,_

_I know that I was not very detailed with you as per our discussion back in November and I am very sorry for that. However, I will do my best to explain it to you now._

_When I first heard that your father had taken the job with the American Ministry and that you would be moving, I was seriously contemplating letting you stay at Hogwarts until you graduated. However, after I thought long and hard about it, I came to the decision that you would be better suited and more helpful if you were away from here for the remainder of this year. As you are probably aware, the lines of communication both in and out of Hogwarts are being watched; which is why I delivered this letter to you personally before you left._

_Since you are reading this letter, you are in your new school and you have been given your own room. This has been done for a specific reason. The fireplace in your room has been directly linked to the main one located in Grimmauld Place. It will allow you to talk to us and vice versa whenever necessary. You will be kept informed of any important information that comes through us here. You are probably wondering why I have done all of this. I have done this for two reasons. The first is because I know how close you are with some of those still currently attending Hogwarts and you will be notified immediately if anything happens to any of them. The second reason is of great importance. I am officially naming you an unofficial member of the Order of the Phoenix. You will become an official member once you have graduated at the end of term._

_The only people who know about this are myself, Minerva, Molly, Arthur, Severus, Alastor, Remus, Sirius and yourself. At this time, I must ask you not to tell anyone. I am sorry to make you be secretive, but this is to ensure the safety of yourself and everyone else involved. I do hope you understand this._

_Your first mission is to continue on at your new school as you would have here at Hogwarts. You are a very important part of our organization, for you are the only one of us who is not being watched._

_I do hope that you are not angry with me for not being straightforward with you earlier. And I hope that you are not angry with me for making you a member of the Order without first asking your permission. You had told me at the beginning of the summer, along with Fred and George Weasley, that you wanted to join the order and that you would join as soon as you graduated; which is why I have arranged all of this._

_I will contact you again if I am in need of further assistance from you. Until then, I encourage you to keep up with your studies; especially in Potions, Charms and Defense against the Dark Arts. You never know when you will need them._

_Best Wishes and Luck_

_Albus Dumbledore_

She read and reread the letter several times; slightly confused by what Dumbledore was telling her. _I'm a member of the Order? I am important? Why am I so important? Why am I so special?_ She was pulled out of her thoughts by a faint popping sound. She looked up to see Remus Lupin's head in her fire. She smiled and sat in the chair that was the closest to the fire.

"Hey, Professor Lupin. How are you?"

The werewolf smiled at her. "I haven't been your professor for two years now. And since you are _unofficially_ a member of the Order, I wish for you to call me Remus.

She nodded, but didn't call him Remus only out of respect. "What's new in the homeland?"

He smiled at her choice of words. "I know that you miss all of your friends here, but you are where you need to be right now."

She looked away at his words; she still wished that she didn't have to be here. "How is Mr. Weasley doing?"

"He's doing much better now. He should be coming home within the next day or so," he told her. "Speaking of home, there are two people here begging me to talk to you," he told her. He stepped out of the fire, only to be replaced by the smiling heads of Ginny and Hermione.

"Hi Jen," they chorused. Jen nodded her head in response. Their conversation was brief because Mrs. Weasley was calling them for dinner. They said their good-byes a few moments later and they disappeared from the fire.

After the flames returned to their normal color, Jen went back to her bed and just laid there, thinking about everything that had happened since the first of November. She was shaken from her thoughts when she heard the sound of an owl pecking at her window. She opened the window and a small, overexcited owl zoomed into the room and landed next to her on her bed. She untied the letter and the owl flew over to Isabella's perch for some food and water.

Mid-March 

As per Dumbledore's instructions, Jen did nothing but go to class and do her homework. She kept to herself and she rarely interacted with her fellow students; at least not the way she would have if she was still at Hogwarts.

One morning, sometime in the middle of March, Jen was sitting in her Charms class taking notes when several of her classmates began to talk in hushed voices. She looked up from her notes to see Professor Dumbledore standing in the doorway. His eyes twinkled when she met his gaze.

"I am very sorry to have interrupted your class, Professor Williams, but I must request an audience with one of your students," he told the professor as he glanced at Jen. She silently nodded and began to quietly put her things away. "Miss Henley, I need to speak with you immediately." She silently rose from her seat and exited the room, as whispers from her classmates followed her out the door.

"What is the matter, Professor?" she asked as she followed him towards the headmaster's office.

"I will tell you in a moment's time, but we must first go somewhere a little more private," he told her as he made his way into the headmaster's office. He briefly spoke with the headmaster, who left his office to give Dumbledore and Jen some privacy.

Once the headmaster had left the room, Professor Dumbledore began to explain to her why he was there. He told her about how the DA, he knew that she knew about it, had been discovered and he was to be arrested. He told her that he was going to be staying in the area, just until things were cleared up back in Britain.

She was still confused as to why he had come to see her. "Professor, I am confused. Why have you come to see me?"

"Do you remember the letter that I gave to you the day you left Hogwarts?" he asked her. She nodded. "I told you that I would contact you if I was in need of further assistance from you. Well, I am indeed in need of your help." She was still confused.

"What exactly are you asking of me, Professor?"

"First off, Miss Henley, call me Albus. Secondly, the assistance I ask of you is something very secret and very ancient. It requires an extensive knowledge in Potions and Charms, both of which you possess."

"I am not sure I understand."

"I will do my best to explain it to you," he told her as he gestured for her to make herself more comfortable. Once seated, he began to explain what it was that he was asking her to do. He explained of a very ancient ritual that would allow a wizard to transfer their powers to another wizard. He told her that he wanted to perform this ritual with Harry so that he would be stronger when it came time for him to face Voldemort. He also told her of the catch to the ritual; that the person who was transferring their powers would lose them permanently. "What I want you to do is find a way for me to retain my powers after I have transferred them to Harry," he told her.

"But that is impossible, Professor. I don't think that I can do that. Surely Hermione of even Professor Snape or Professor Flitwick would be better qualified than me to do this for you," she told him.

He merely smiled at her as he looked over his half-moon spectacles at her. "You are the only person that can do this, Miss Henley. I know how smart you are, the only rival to Miss Granger, and I have the utmost confidence that you can do this."

"But why me?"

"Unfortunately, I cannot answer that at this time. Will you except your mission, Miss Henley? The Order needs you; Harry needs you, although he knows nothing of this and I would prefer that only you and I know about this."

"How will I be able to do this? I have no background information about this ritual and I do not have access to any of the necessary equipment that I may need," she told him.

"All of the materials that you will need in order to research this subject further have already been brought to your room. As for your limited access to the necessary potion ingredients and any other materials that you will need while you are here at the Salem School, have already been taken care of. You have been granted full access to the Potions classroom as well as any ingredients that you will need, including the Potion master's private storeroom. All you have to do is let him know what you need and it will be provided for you. You also have permission to be out of your dormitory after hours and you are allowed to bring any necessary materials to your dormitory.

Jen was dumbstruck by what she had just heard. "I don't know what to say, Professor."

He smiled at her. "I know that you are concerned and confused, but I am asking you to trust me. Have I ever given you a reason not to?" She shook her head in response. "As I said earlier, I have complete faith and trust in you that you will be able to do this. I wouldn't have asked you if I did not think that you could do it."

"Thank you, Professor. I will do my best."

"I never expected anything less from you. Also, I will be here until further notice, so I will be helping you during my stay here. And since your fireplace has been linked directly to Grimmauld Place, I can easily contact the Order if necessary. You may go to your next class and I will see you at dinner."

She nodded and rose from her chair. "I have always known that you are and will become a very powerful witch. You have abilities that are still unknown to you and I do hope to live long enough to see you reach your full potential," he told her with a smile.

She looked at him from the doorway and returned his smile. "I won't let you down, Professor," she told him just before disappearing from view.

_Never been a quitter. That is one of her best qualities. She will need that for the final battle; we can't win this war without her. She is the key to everything,_ he thought to himself after she had left the room.

Back at Hogwarts – around Easter holiday 

It was nearing the end of the Easter holiday and Dumbledore was still gone. Fred and George had done their best to raise hell for the new headmistress. Finally, their moment would come when Harry would need their help sneaking into Umbridge's office so that he could talk to Sirius through her fire since it was the only one that was not monitored.

It was the last day of the Easter holiday and Harry, Ron and Hermione were sitting in the Gryffindor common room looking through career pamphlets. "Ginny told us that you need to talk to Sirius," Fred said as he and George joined them.

"Yeah, I do, but-" Harry began.

"You can't, Harry. Especially with Umbridge watching the fires and all owls in and out of the school.

"We can easily get around that, Hermione. It's all about creating a good diversion," George told her with a smile.

"Yeah, we've been good during the holidays, but we are more than ready to start up again now that classes will be resuming. Since we were planning to cause more mayhem anyway, why not do it for a reason," Fred said.

"We'll do our thing while Harry talks to Sirius," George added.

"But how will Harry talk to him even if you do cause a diversion?" Hermione asked them.

"That's easy," George said.

"Umbridge's office," Fred added with a smile. Harry knew that they were right. She had told him herself that her fire was the only one that wasn't monitored.

"Have you both gone nutters?" Hermione said in a hushed tone. Harry thought about it and decided that he would do it. Hermione couldn't believe that he was actually going to do it. And when she asked for Ron's help, he only told her that he couldn't stop them.

"I'm thinking that we will do it tomorrow, jut after lessons because everyone will be in the corridors," Fred began.

"We'll set it off in the east wing so that she will be drawn away from her office," George added.

"That should give you about twenty minutes or so to talk to him," Fred told him.

"What are you going to do exactly?" Ron asked with interest. Hermione shot him a dirty look for condoning what they were talking about doing.

"You'll see; as long as you are near Gregory the Smarmy's corridor around five o'clock tomorrow," Fred told him with a smile.

The time finally came; it would be a day to remember. Just as classes were being let out for the day, the sounds of the diversion being carried out could be heard from above. Screams could be heard throughout the corridors. Umbridge flew out of her classroom, en route to the origin of the commotion. Harry took off in the opposite direction, heading for her office.

The diversion that Fred and George had in mind was actually a swamp. Harry saw that Fred and George were standing in the middle of the floor, looking very grave because they had gotten caught.

"So you think it's amusing to turn a school corridor into a swamp?" she said to the two of them.

"Actually, it's hilarious," Fred told her, showing no fear. At that moment, Mr. Filch had joined the conversation, producing forms to allow him to whip the twins.

"You two are going to learn what happens to offenders in my school," she told them.

"No, I don't think we are," George told her. He turned to look at Fred, saying "I think we've finally outgrown our time here, wouldn't you agree, Fred?"

"I most certainly do," Fred told him.

Before she could say anything else, they both raised their wands and yelled, "Accio Brooms!" A loud crash was heard and Fred and George's brooms came hurtling down the corridor. They mounted their brooms and then turned to all of the students watching them.

"If anyone wants to buy one of our swamps or any of our other products, come to ninety-three Diagon Alley, Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes. That's our new place," George told them.

"Special discounts given to Hogwarts students, as long as you swear to use them to get rid of this old bat," Fred bellowed as he pointed at a very thunderstruck Umbridge.

"Stop them!" she shrieked, but it was too late. They had already taken off.

"Give her hell for us, Peeves!" Fred yelled to him as they left the castle on their brooms.

The twins had left school and went straight to their new shop. They had already had some boxes sent over, so they began to unpack them.

"I can't believe that we actually did it," Fred said as he began stacking the shelves.

"Nor can I, but I am glad that we did. I hope they get rid of that old cow soon," George replied with a smile. Fred nodded in agreement as they continued to sort through boxes. Then they both heard a tapping sound on the window. George opened the window and an owl flew in; hooting thankfully as it landed on Fred's shoulder.

He untied the letter and said, "Thanks, Isabella." He gave her an owl treat and then she took off out of the window. Fred read the letter Jen had sent him while George continued to rummage through some boxes. When he finished reading it, he peered over the top of the parchment at George, who was busying himself with boxes. "Jen said hello," he lied. George never acknowledged his words. Fred sighed and looked back at the letter; rereading the last few lines she had written to him.

_This is the hardest thing that I have ever done in my life. I know that it is extremely difficult to do, but it must be done. I, Jennifer Henley, no longer wish to have any relation to George Weasley for as long as I live. I have given up on him being my friend, especially when I need him to be, or my lover. This may come as a shock, but I have always loved him; even more than a person should love their best friend. From this moment on, I will forget that George Arthur Weasley ever existed; he is no longer my friend, my companion, my classmate or my heart._

Fred stopped reading as he looked up at his brother. What he wouldn't give to tell him that she loved him just as much as he loved her. He sighed and tucked the letter into his robes; he would write her back later.

Salem School - Graduation 

As the headmaster gave his speech, Jen couldn't help but think about the graduation ceremony taking place at Hogwarts at the same time. She missed the fact that she wouldn't be graduating with Fred, George and Lee, even though Fred and George wouldn't have been graduating anyway.

Instead, she was with the unfamiliar. Her last term at the Salem School was spent doing her homework and, mainly, research for the Order.

The headmaster had finished and called upon the valedictorian to give his speech. Jen smiled to herself because she was supposed to be the one giving this speech. She had approached the headmaster a few weeks prior to graduation, telling him that she didn't feel right accepting the honor of being valedictorian since she hadn't been there long enough. She felt that the person to give that speech to their fellow graduates should be someone who had spent all seven years with them, not 6 months.

Once the speeches were over and the ceremony was concluded, Jen found her parents. As they were about to leave, a man wearing dark red robes approached them. He nodded to her father, obviously someone who worked with him at the Ministry, and asked her if he could talk to her for a moment. She nodded and followed the man away from where her parents were standing.

The man's name was Michael Walker and he was the Senior Undersecretary to the Minister, which was Umbridge's position, only he seemed much nicer than she was. He was there to offer her a job, but not just any job. It was a research and development job; one that did not exist until now. She would be the only witch in the world to hold a position like this.

"Due to your outstanding scores in both your O.W.L.s and N.E.W.T.s in every class, both here and at Hogwarts, it is an honor to offer you this job. I have already spoken with your former professors and headmaster from Hogwarts, since they know you the best, and they all spoke very highly of you, especially Albus Dumbledore, whose opinion is highly valued by our Minister."

She looked at him and a smile crossed her face. "What exactly does this job entail?"

"Come by my office tomorrow morning and we'll discuss it further, along with you level of clearance and your wages. Your father knows where my office is. I'll see you in the morning. It is an honor and a privilege, Miss Henley," he told her as he handed her a card with his name on it.

"See you tomorrow," she told him as they parted ways. She returned to her parents and told them about the job offer.

That night, she wrote two letters. She sent the first one to Dumbledore, thanking him for the high recommendation. She also asked him if this job offer had anything to do with the work that she was doing for the Order. She sealed the envelope and tied it to one of Isabella's legs. She told her to stay since she had another letter to send as well.

The second letter was being sent to Fred with strict instructions to relay the message to everyone else. She told him about her job offer and that she would tell him more once she had met with Mr. Walker the following morning. She asked him how the shop was going, having received an owl from Hermione and Ginny telling her what had happened just after Easter. She then asked him how everyone was doing after the incident in the Department of Mysteries, having received that news from Dumbledore not too long ago. She sealed that letter and tied it to Isabella's other leg.

"I want you to go to Hogwarts first to see Albus Dumbledore. After he takes his letter, you may rest if you wish before you go to see Fred in Diagon Alley." Isabella hooted in understanding before flying out of the window. Jen watched her fly away before lying on her bed, thinking about what will happen next.


	5. Through the Years Part 3

15

Chapter 5

Through the Years (Part 3)

The United Stated – the day after Jen's graduation 

The morning after her graduation, Jen found herself sitting in a nicely polished office, talking animatedly with Michael Walker about her new job.

"So, you will basically be doing research and development on whatever people ask you to do. You would be the equivalent to a cross between a Muggle contractor and a scientist. You will be paid a base salary by us every two weeks and you will also receive commission from the people that you do the work for. Also, any supplies that you will need will be paid for by the Ministry, so you will have no out of pocket expenses."

She was shocked yet delighted by his words, but she still had a couple of questions. "Where will I be working and how many hours a week am I required to work?"

"Well, you will be given a small office here, but the majority of your work will be done at home and in the field. As for how many hours you work a week that is entirely up to you. You can create your own hours and take days off whenever you want. Since you will only be working out of the Ministry and not for the Ministry, we cannot regulate your hours. However, the faster you get the job done, the more commission you will make. But that does not mean that you have to overexert yourself either. If something takes you a long time to do, then it will. Not everything given to you will be easy. That much I can guarantee. Just work at your own pace and try to do the best job possible."

Jen couldn't believe her luck. This job was perfect. "Now, when I spoke to you yesterday, you mentioned something about wages and clearance. What exactly did you mean by clearance?"

"When I said clearance, I meant the amount of access you would have to Ministry facilities and benefits. Since you are going to be R&D, you will have top clearance. That will give you access to all Ministry facilities and benefits."

"What kind of benefits are you referring to?"

"Well, since you are half Muggle, you know of certain benefits that are given to employees after a certain amount of time. The same thing goes with us here in the States. You will receive full medical benefits, if needed, and you will receive paid wages after you retire. Another benefit that you will get, and I personally think that this is a good one, is that the Ministry will pay for you to continue your education."

Her eyes lit up at his last words. "Really? So, if I wanted to go to a Muggle university, I could and the Ministry would pay for it?" He nodded and she got very excited. She always wanted to go to a Muggle university.

After they concluded their meeting, Jen went to her father's office. She found him sitting at his desk, getting ready to go to lunch. "Hey, Daddy. Wanna go to lunch?"

Her father looked up at her and smiled. "Sure thing, pumpkin." He stood up and the two of them left the Ministry together and went to a small café down the road. Once seated, her father looked at her happy face. "So, tell me about your new job."

She smiled at her father and began to tell him about her meeting with Michael Walker. As she finished, her father placed some money on the table.

"I am so proud of you, pumpkin. I have to get back to work now, but I want to talk more about this when I get home. See you then," he told her as he stood up.

"Okay, Daddy. I'm gonna stay and have a cup of tea before I return home." He nodded, kissed her forehead and left the café. As she sat at the table drinking her tea, she listened to the Muggle radio that could be heard from the kitchen.

_And here is a dedication to Suzy, from Brian, with a message to come home soon. Here's Duncan Sheik with 'Half-Life'_

_I'm awake in the afternoon  
I fell asleep in the living room  
and it's one of those moments  
when everything is so clear  
before the truth goes back into hiding  
I want to decide 'cause it's worth deciding  
to work on finding something more than this fear  
It takes so much out of me to pretend  
tell me now, tell me how to make amends  
maybe, I need to see the daylight  
to leave behind this half-life  
don't you see I'm breaking down  
lately, something here don't feel right  
this is just a half-life  
is there really no escape?  
no escape from time  
of any kind_

Jen left the café in tears before she could hear the rest of the song. The fact that the song was dedicated to a girl from a guy, begging her to come home made her think about George and she didn't want to do that. She promised herself that she would get over him, even thought she hadn't.

Britain – 8 months later 

"Wow, today was a busy day, huh?" Fred asked George as he locked the door behind the last customer of the day.

George smiled as he began restocking the shelves. "Yeah, we were." The two of them spent a couple of hours making sure that everything was restocked and that everything would be ready for the next day.

When they were done, Fred went upstairs to their flat to make dinner while George stayed behind to start the books. Once he had sat down, he began to work. He didn't really like doing the books, but Fred was horrible at doing them so George had to do them. _Too bad Jen wasn't here. She was always good with this kind of stuff._ George froze with that thought. He had tried so hard to not think about her for the past year that she had been gone. Thankfully, Fred called him upstairs for dinner, so he was able to stop thinking about her. Once he finished dinner, he returned to the shop so that he could finish up the books. He decided to turn on the Muggle radio that they had in the office; there was a song already playing.

_I keep trying to understand  
this thing and that thing, my fellow man  
I guess I'll let you know  
when I figure it out  
but I don't mind a few mysteries  
they can stay that way it's fine by me  
and you are another mystery I am missing  
It takes so much out of me to pretend  
maybe, I need to see the daylight  
to leave behind this half-life  
don't you see I'm breaking down  
Lately, something here don't feel right  
this is just a half-life  
is there really no escape?  
no escape from time  
of any kind_

George sat there for a moment, just soaking up the words he had just heard. He began to think about Jen again, but he mentally shook himself and turned back to his work.

_come on lets fall in love  
come on lets fall in love  
come on lets fall in love  
again  
'cause lately something here don't feel right  
this is just a half-life,  
without you I am breaking down  
wake me, let me see the daylight  
save me from this half-life  
let's you and I escape  
escape from time  
come on lets fall in love  
come on lets fall in love  
come on lets fall in love  
again_

"_That was 'Half-Life' by Duncan Sheik. That song goes out to Michelle from Kevin, telling her that he's sorry and that he wants her to come home."_

By this point, George's work was long forgotten as he sat at the desk. He thought about the words of the song and then the dedication that followed. The words of the announcer rang through his mind like a plague. Those words reminded him more of Jen than he wanted to admit. Another love song began so George flicked off the radio, not wanting to hear anymore.

_You have to get over this. It's been over a year since she left_, he told himself. _But you still love her. That just won't go away_, the voice from the back of his mind told him. _She's probably with someone else by now anyway_, he told himself reassuringly. _But you don't know that for sure_, the voice told him.

At that moment, Fred came downstairs. "George, you're still down here? What have you been doing down here all this time?"

George looked up at the clock that hung on the wall over the desk and gasped. He had been down there for three hours and he got close to no work done. "Are you okay, George?" Fred asked him.

"I'm fine. I was just thinking."

"About anything important?"

"Jen."

"Oh. You wanna talk about it?"

"Not now I don't. I'm gonna do a bit more of this paperwork before I come up."

"Okay. I'm gonna make some tea, so I'll stay down here for a bit. You want some tea?"

"Sure, I could use some tea and some company right now."

"You got it," Fred said as he stood up and went into the kitchen.

George sat there for a couple of minutes, thinking about the song that he had just heard and how much it reminded him of Jen. He was shaken from his thoughts by his brother setting down two tea cups, the sugar, the cream and a plate of biscuits.

The United Stated – 1 year later 

Jen sat in at the graduation ceremony at the Salem School. As she sat there, she thought about her life since she had graduated two years prior. She had been working for the American Ministry and attending a Muggle university for the past two years. With all the work she had to do for both the Ministry and school, she needed help.

This brought her attention back to the ceremony, which had just ended. She stood up and weaved throughout the crowd in search of the person she was there to see. She soon found her, standing with her parents. She walked up to them and tapped the girl on the shoulder, the same way Michael approached her and her parents two years ago.

"Miss Bethany O'Brian?" Jen asked her as she stuck out her hand to shake, which the girl took. "My name is Jennifer Henley and I work for the Ministry. I was wondering if I could speak with you in private for a moment." She nodded and followed Jen a short distance away from where her parents stood.

"You are probably wondering who I am and why I asked to speak with you on such a happy day. Well, as I said, I work for the Ministry and I am here to offer you a job."

Her eyes grew wide at Jen's words. "You're offering me a job?" Jen nodded and she smiled. "What do you do?"

"Well, I work in research and development. I am the only member of my department and we are the only Ministry in the world that has this department. I work with people all over the world; mainly researching and developing new spells and curses that are used everyday. I range from the very protection spells that surround this school to your everyday beauty care products. I have no boss…with the exception of the Minister and I have no one working under me."

"That sounds like a really cool job. But what do you need me for?"

"Well, as I said, I work alone. I have a lot of work for just myself and I am currently attending a Muggle university. Between my regular work and the work that I have to do for school, I barely have time to sleep. This is why I am hiring you. I want you to be my assistant so that my workload will reduce immensely."

Bethany smiled at Jen. "When do I start?" she asked with enthusiasm.

Jen smiled back at her. "Tell you what, I'll meet you tomorrow and we can discuss this further. You know where the American Ministry is, right?" Bethany nodded in response. "There is a small café just down the road from there. Meet me there tomorrow at one o'clock, okay?" Bethany nodded again, the smile not leaving her face. "Okay, now go back to your parents. I'm guessing you will want to tell them the good news," Jen said as the other girl nodded her head. They both parted and Jen made her way to the exit so that she could Apparate to the Ministry.

Leaving the school, Jen felt much better about her job and current situation. She went back to the Ministry so that she could inform Michael that she had hired Bethany and to ask him a few questions. After meeting with him briefly about the situation, Jen Apparated home.

When she got home, Jen found Isabella sitting on her desk with a package. Jen laughed when she saw Fred's messy scribble on the outside of it. She took the package from Isabella and opened the letter attached to it.

_Jen_

_How are things going over there? Things are good here. We all miss you. Tell your folks I said hello._

_I'm sure you have noticed the package by now. I'm having a little trouble with some of our newer items and I was wondering if you could take a look at them for me and let me know what's wrong with them? _

_Thanks a bunch,_

_Fred_

_P.S. I owe you one._

_He owes me one all right_, she thought to herself as she opened the box. After looking at each item briefly, Jen decided that she was going to have her new assistant check them out first. She placed them in her secret lab and then sealed it. She went downstairs to help her mother make dinner.

Britain – 8 months later 

"Ron, are you all packed?" Mrs. Weasley asked him as he came downstairs. He nodded as he sat down at the table and began to shovel some eggs and bacon in his mouth. "I still can't believe my Ronny is leaving to go play professional Quidditch," she said with teary eyes.

"It's okay, mum. I'll be fine. I'll owl you all the time. I promise," he told her as he swallowed his last bite. At that moment, Fred and George Apparated into the kitchen.

"You ready to go, Ron?" Fred asked. Ron nodded.

"I can't believe ickle Ronniekins is going to be the new Keeper for the Chudley Canons," George said with a smile as he patted his brother on the back.

"Come on. We have to go or you will miss your Portkey, Ron," Mrs. Weasley told them all. Everyone gathered together to take Ron to the Portkey location. When they got there, Ron took a particularly long time saying good-bye to Hermione. He hated to leave her, but this has been his dream since he was a little kid and he couldn't give it up. Not yet at least.

After Ron had left, Fred and George went back to the Burrow for a short while. While they were there, they all talked about how Ron and Harry had left to pursue their dreams: Ron going to play Keeper for the Canons and Harry leaving for the Auror Academy, he left a month ago.

Hermione started crying and George tried to comfort her. "Don't worry, Hermione. It'll be okay. The time will pass quickly and before you know it, he'll be home. All you have to do is write him often and it'll make it easier. You just got to have faith." His words surprised himself, not to mention everyone else.

With his last words, Hermione grew angry. She knew that he had no right to say stuff like that in light of his situation with Jen. "Is that how you did it when Jen left?" she said fiercely. Her statement took George by surprise and caused everyone to look at him, waiting for an answer.

"Cause I find it hard to believe that you could tell me to write to Ron often to make the distance between us easier to deal with, yet you don't even have the decency to write one bloody letter to the girl that you claim to be in love with!" she cried as she fled from the room with Ginny right behind her.

George sat there for a moment, pondering what Hermione had just said. She never used foul language and he knew that. he knew that she was right. He looked up at his brother, who just looked back at him.

"She's right you know," Fred said to him as he stood up. "Come on, we have to get back and make sure that everything is ready for tomorrow." They called good bye to everyone and they Apparated to their shop.

The United Stated – 9 months later 

Things had been going very well for Jen ever since she hired Bethany. She never got behind with her school work or her regular work again.

Jen had just Apparated to their office (her room) from school to find a familiar owl sitting on her desk; an owl she hadn't seen in a few years.

"What do I owe this unexpected honor, Pig?" she asked the small owl as she untied the parchment that was tied to his leg. The tiny owl just hooted and flew over to Isabella's perch and helped himself to some water. Jen opened the letter the see Ron's untidy scrawl.

_Hey Jen._

_How are you? I'm doing great. I don't know if you knew, but I'm on the Chudley Canons Quidditch team. Anyway, I'm in town for a match tomorrow and I was wondering if you wanted to come and then maybe we could meet up so that we can catch up on the last few years. I'll set aside two tickets for you; that way you can bring your special someone with you. Hope to see you tomorrow. Can't wait to see you._

_Ron_

At that moment, Bethany walked through the door. "You're back from school already? How did it go? What classes did you have today?"

"My last class was cancelled so I got back early. My other classes were good. I had two history classes and my music class. I am having so much fun in my music class," she told Bethany with a smile. "Hey, what are you doing tomorrow afternoon?"

"Nothing as of this moment. Why, what are you doing?"

"One of my old friends from Hogwarts is on the Chudley Canons Quidditch team and they are playing here tomorrow afternoon. He put aside two tickets for me and I don't have anyone else to go with. And since we are both single, I figured that you could come with me."

"Sure, I'll come. Is this friend cute?" she asked hopefully.

"Yes, but he's had a girlfriend for over four years now."

"Oh, okay," Bethany said, slightly disappointed.

"But he might have a few teammates that are cute and single. We're gonna go out for tea after the game anyway." Bethany perked up at this.

"Okay, I'll go get some work done so that we won't have a lot to do later."

"You do that while I send Ron my reply. I'll be in shortly," Jen told her as Bethany hurried into the secret lab.

Jen sat down at her desk and wrote a quick response to Ron's invitation. Once Pig was safely out of the window, she joined Bethany in the lab. When she entered the room, she found Bethany staring at a picture. "What are you looking at, Beth?"

"I was looking at this picture of you from Hogwarts. Who is this cutie in the picture?" Jen walked over to where Beth was standing and looked at who she was pointing to.

It was a picture taken of her, Fred, George and Lee down by the lake at Hogwarts in their fourth year. She smiled at the picture, for she remembered that day very well. Just after that picture was taken, Jen, Fred and Lee pushed George into the lake. That was also the day that Jen realized that she was in love with George.

"That's Fred Weasley. He's a good friend of mine. And that's Lee Jordan and Fred's twin brother, George."

"That's the one you write to all the time?" Beth asked as she pointed at Fred. Jen nodded. "So George is the one that you like?"

Jen's smile faded and her body stiffened slightly. "I don't want to talk about that right now, Beth. We have work to do and I want to get as much of it done before we go to the game tomorrow," Jen said as she walked away.

"What happened, Jen? You can tell me."

"No, Beth, I can't. That is something that I have put behind me and I do not wish to talk about. Now let's get some work done," she said in a definitive tone, which told Beth that the conversation was over and to get to work. Beth hadn't known Jen for that long, but she knew when she didn't want to talk about something. Beth also knew that Jen had very strong feelings for George, or at least she used to.

The next day, Jen and Beth went to the game and Ron did great. After the match, the two girls waited by the entrance to the locker rooms for Ron.

Once he came out, Jen and Beth took him and some of his buddies to an all magic café. Once seated, Ron began to ask her questions about her job and what she had been up to.

"Fred hasn't told me much, he only gave me basic information," Ron told her.

"Well, I can't tell you exactly what I do, but I have been really busy. And I wouldn't get even half of it done if I didn't have Beth here for an assistant," she said as she gestured to Beth, who grinned at Jen's praise.

"Fred also told me that you are attending a Muggle university?"

"Yeah she is and she works her tail off at both the Ministry and school," Beth said.

"What's it like, going to school with all those Muggles?"

Jen laughed at his words. Since Ron was a pureblood, he was never really around Muggles the way she was, since she was half Muggle. "Well, it's pretty much the same way it was for me before I went to Hogwarts. The only differences now are that I can do magic legally, there is no magic at school and the classes are much different." They all laughed at her words.

Over the next couple of hours, Ron and Jen caught up on the last few years that they haden't seen each other. She told him about her time at the Salem School and getting her job with the Ministry. She told him about the last couple of years with Beth and how her studies were coming along. He, in turn, told her about finally fulfilling his dream to play for the Canons. He told her how much he missed Hermione and that he only got to see her for a few months out of the year. He told her about Hermione's job as a Healer at St. Mungo's and how Ginny had just started her training there. He also told her how Harry was doing as an Auror.

After a while, Ron said his goodbyes and Apparated to his hotel. Jen Apparated to her home and sat with her parents for a bit before turning in for the night.

Seeing Ron again reopened her mind to her past and the things that she had tried to forget, one person in particular, came flooding back.

Jen's Dream

She stood in the kitchen, bustling about, trying to get dinner ready. She was waiting for her husband to come home from work. She was making him his favorite American dish: chicken cutlets with mashed potatoes and sweet corn.

She thought about her life so far and smiled. She had everything she had ever wanted: she had a great career, a loving husband, a beautiful son and a second child on the way. She couldn't be happier.

Then she heard a shriek come from the living room, indicating that her husband was home. She smiled to herself as she continued cooking. She soon heard voices approaching the kitchen and she heard her husband mention her name so she asked what he was talking about.

He walked up behind her and hugged her, rubbing her very pregnant belly. They talked for a few moments before she turned around to hug him.

End of Dream

Jen sat upright in her bed, which was now drenched with sweat. She didn't know what to think, but she knew what her dream was about. She was married to George and they were having a second child. They seemed really happy.

Britain – 11 months later 

George had woken up from another restless sleep. He hadn't had a descent night sleep since him and Fred had received an owl from Ron, eleven months ago, telling them about when he visited Jen while he was in the United States. Ron's letter gave them the basics of what she was up to and how she was doing; he even told them how beautiful she was.

George mentally shook himself and looked at the clock. The time read a quarter past one in the afternoon. At first, he was worried that he was late for work, but then he realized that he had the day off and sighed with relief.

He got up and walked in to the kitchen to make himself something to eat. He made a few slices of toast and some bacon and then poured himself a cup of tea. After he ate, he wondered to Fred's room to see if he was up yet.

He saw that Fred wasn't there, so he went to leave. As he was leaving the room, a picture on Fred's desk caught his eye. When he took a closer look, he saw that it was the picture taken of him, Fred, Lee and Jen during their fourth year. That was the day that they had thrown him into the freezing cold lake. That was also the day that George realized that he was in love with Jen.

George was shaken by his thoughts when Fred walked into the room. "What's up, George?" he asked. George backed away from the picture and shook his head.

"Nothing. I came in here to see if you were still in bed and I noticed this picture," he said as he gestured to the picture he was just looking at. Fred walked over to his desk and picked up the picture George had pointed at.

"I remember this day well. That was a good day, wasn't it?" Fred asked his brother, whose cheeks were going pink.

"Yeah, it was," George responded in a soft tone. "I'm gonna get another cup of tea. You want one?"

Fred nodded and George left the room. _He still loves her_, Fred thought to himself as he watched his brother leave the room. _I just wish that there was a way to get them together again._

George stood in the kitchen, looking out the window that overlooked Diagon Alley. He stood there, thinking about Jen. He knew that he still loved her. He just wished that it didn't hurt so much. He wanted to get over her and move on, but there was something deep within him that just wouldn't let him.

_You'll be coming home soon  
I know you're out of place  
Will you knock on my door soon?  
I just need to see your face  
_

_Ohhh, my heart is like a speeding train  
Ohhh, my love, when I can fill your pain  
Ohhh, I long, yeah I pray for you  
Because I miss you  
I am out of place, I am out of place  
_

The United Stated – 9 months later 

It was a sad day as Jen stood with the other mourners in the cemetery. She stood next to Mr. and Mrs. O'Brian as their daughter's casket was lowered into the ground. Beth's parents had asked Jen to give the eulogy because neither of them would be able to do it. Since Beth was a pureblood, it made it easier for Jen to give the speech since there were no Muggles present.

"_All though I have only known Beth for a few years, the two of us have worked very closely over the last two years. I met and hired her in one day and the two of us clicked instantly. She was the first real friend I had here and I miss her terribly. She was always there to listen to my problems and, most of all, my stories. She loved to listen to my stories from my Hogwarts days. She especially loved the ones about Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes and the famous Harry Potter._

_Beth was a great assistant and an even greater person. She was very helpful to me while I was attending a Muggle university. She never complained about her workload or me and she always had a smile on her face._

_It is with the deepest sympathy that I tell her family that I am truly sorry for their loss. It is also with the deepest regret that I have to lay a close friend to rest._

_Good bye, Bethany Dawn O'Brian. You will be extremely missed and loved and I hope that you are able to find peace, wherever you are."_

With a wave of her hand, several white doves flew across the sky as the dirt was being placed over the casket.

When the service had ended, Jen and her parents returned home. Her father asked if she wanted something to eat, but she wanted nothing more than to go to her room and be alone.

Once in her room, Jen didn't feel like brooding. She changed into a pair of sweats and went into her secret laboratory. She was still working on the ancient magic that Dumbledore had approached her with over five years ago. _Has it really been five years?_ She asked herself. She couldn't believe it.

Jen really wanted to go and visit the Weasleys, Harry, Hermione and Lee. She missed them all so much, but she just couldn't do it. She didn't think she was ready to face him yet. _It's been more than five years. Surely you can deal with it by now_, she told herself. _But you know you still love him_, said a voice in the back of her mind. _I know I do. That's why I can't face him_, she told the voice. _Then you know what you have to do_, said the voice.

_You'll be coming around soon  
Its just not been the same  
Is there something I can do for you  
Have you got a soul to save?  
_

_Ohhh, my heart is like a speeding train  
Ohhh, my love, when I can fill your pain  
Ohhh, I long, yeah I pray for you  
Because I miss you  
I am out of place, I am out of place_

A few months later, Jen had a meeting with the American Minister. This meeting wasn't very long, but it was very important. When the meeting had ended, Jen decided to walk home from work since it wasn't that far away. When she had turned the corner onto her street, she stopped dead in her tracks.

She saw the Dark Mark hovering over her house. Knowing what that meant, Jen immediately became invisible and inched closer to her home. Once she was inside, she saw that everything was trashed, but she didn't see her parents. She knew she couldn't call out to them, just in case there were still Death Eaters in the house waiting for her. She moved silently throughout the house.

When she got to her parents room, she almost cried out in anguish. She found both of her parents lying in their bed with looks of sheer terror upon their faces. She knew that they were dead, killed by the Killing Curse, and left the room as quickly as she could. She couldn't bear the site any longer.

It wasn't until she got to her room that she realized what the Death Eaters were looking for. Her door had been blown to pieces and everything in her room was in shambles. She knew what they were looking for and that there was no way they could have found her secret laboratory. She went to the wall where the door was supposed to be and said a small incantation. The door appeared and Jen entered the lab, quickly shrinking all of her notebooks, papers and necessary materials into her briefcase. She particularly made sure that she had everything that pertained to her research for Dumbledore.

She knew that she didn't have room for her clothes, so she left all of them, with the exception of her knickers. _I can buy the rest later_, she told herself.

Once she was certain that she had everything, she got ready to Apparate. She thought about where she was going to go; she had no family since both of her parents were only children and she was an only child as well. She then realized that she had to go back to England. She was afraid to go, but she knew that that was the only place where she had anyone remotely close to family. She just had one stop to make first. She closed her eyes and Apparated to the American branch of Gringott's.

Once she had finished making the arrangements to have hers and her parents' vault transferred to her vault in London, Jen got ready to go back to London for the first time. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. A tear trickled down her cheek as she Apparated to Diagon Alley. She stood there, taking in the scene. _I've finally come home_, she said to herself as she headed towards the Leaky Cauldron to get a room.

_Ohhh, my heart is like a speeding train  
Ohhh, my love, when I can fill your pain  
Ohhh, I long, yeah I pray for you  
Because I miss you  
I am out of place, I am out of place  
_

_Because I miss you  
I am out of place  
Ohhh, Because I miss you  
I am out of place, I am out of place_

You'll be coming home soon


	6. The Reunion

15

Chapter 6

The Reunion

When Jen walked into the Leaky Cauldron, she felt years of memories flooding back to her; she remembered so many things from her past. She mentally shook herself back to the present and walked toward the counter. When she got there, Tom turned around to look at her.

"Why, Miss Henley, I haven't seen you in quite some time. How are you?" he asked he with a smile.

She smiled at him in return. "I am doing fine, Tom, thank you for asking. How are the wife and kids?"

"They are doing great. Would you believe that my oldest will be starting Hogwarts next year?"

"Is she really? I can't believe she's ten already. Amazing how time flies, huh?"

"Yeah, it is. So what can I do for you today, Jen?"

"I need a room, if you have one."

"That I do. How long will you be staying?" he asked her as he handed her the key for room number six.

"Not really sure, Tom. Not really sure," she told him with a faraway look in her eyes. "Will I have Floo access in my room?"

"Yes, you will. I was able to get all of the fireplaces in the rooms linked last year. Is everything okay?"

She smiled at what he had said about the Floo access. She had been the one to modify the system to allow that sort of thing, but he didn't know that. "I'll let you know," was all she said to him as she made her way to the stairs. She entered her room and placed her briefcase on the bed. The first thing she did was Floo Dumbledore.

She walked over to the fireplace and grabbed some powder from the bowl. She threw it in the grate and said, "Albus Dumbledore, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."

Dumbledore's head appeared in the fire a moment later. "Hello, Miss Henley. What can I do for you today?" Jen smiled at her former headmaster. She began to tell him what had happened that day, starting from when she left for work that morning. "I am very sorry for your loss, Miss Henley. I will do my best to find out why this has happened to you. I will inform the Order immediately."

"Please, sir. I would prefer it if no one knows just yet. This is my first time back here in almost six years. I don't want my first meeting to be with everyone giving me sympathy."

"If that is what you wish, I will hold off in telling them until you decide that you are ready to tell them. Until then, is there anything that you will need?"

"No, Albus. I will be okay. I have already arranged for my money to be transferred here. I will be staying in the Leaky Cauldron, room number six, if you need to get in touch with me. I will be here until I can find a place of my own."

"As you wish, Miss Henley. Is there anything else that you wish to discuss with me?"

"Not that I can say here. I will send you an owl. I have been working on something new, something specifically designed for the Order and this will be the perfect time to test it. Once you receive my owl and read its contents, I wish for you to have Minerva read it. Once she has finished reading it, ask her what she read. If I am right, then she will not be able to read the actual contents of the letter because it was not written to her. Please let me know as soon as you can if it has worked or not. I will be sending Isabella. I should be going now, Albus. I have to go to the Apothecary and then to Madame Malkin's. I will contact you soon."

"Have a better day, Miss Henley. I wish you the best of luck and I await your owl. I am very interested in seeing your latest creation."

"Thank you, Albus. I'll send it now. Good day," she said, ending the call. She went over to her desk and wrote the letter to Dumbledore. She then said an incantation before tying the letter to Isabella's leg.

Once Isabella was out of sight, Jen put all of her things away and made sure that her lab was safely concealed before she made her way to Diagon Alley. She went to Gringott's first so she could get money to purchase her supplies and robes. When she had gotten there, she found that her money from America had already been placed in her old vault and a new lock and key had been commissioned for her. She took out a sizable amount since she had to purchase a whole new wardrobe, both wizard and Muggle.

The next place that she went to was the Apothecary. She didn't have time to bring all of her potion supplies, so she needed more. She was very surprised to see Blaise Zabini behind the counter.

"Well, well, well. Look at what the cat dragged in."

"Sod off, Zabini. I just came for some supplies, not a reunion," she told him as she slapped down the list of ingredients that she needed. He gave her a disgusted look as he began to fill her order. When he was one, she grabbed her parcel from the counter and threw some money on the counter. "Thanks, Zabini."

"Whatever," he mumbled as she left the shop. Her next stop was Madame Malkin's so she could be fitted for her new robes.

When she walked into the shop, Madame Malkin was standing behind the counter. When she saw Jen walk in, she smiled widely. "Miss Henley, what a pleasant surprise. It's been a long time. How have you been, dear?"

Jen smiled politely at the older woman. "I am fine. I have a big order for you today." The older witch's smile grew even wider and her eyes lit up at Jen's words. "I am in need of a full set of robes for work, regular wear and formal wear."

"Sure thing," the older woman told her as she got out her measuring tape. "It's been a few years, so I will need new measurements from you." Jen nodded and stood on the stool so the measuring tape could do its job. When the measuring tape had finished, it flew into Madame Malkin's hand. "My, you have excellent measurements. What colors did you have in mind, dear?"

Jen blushed at the older woman's compliment. "For my everyday robes, I would like navy blue, dark green, maroon and black. I will need twenty sets, five of each color. For work, I will only require four sets of plain black. As for formal attire, I would like one periwinkle and one black; both of which should be very formfitting."

The older witch nodded as she wrote this all down. "Okay. It will take me a few hours to fill this order. Come back around half past four," she told Jen with a wide smile.

Jen nodded. "Thank you. I will see you then," Jen said to her just before leaving the store. _So what should I do for the next few hours?_ She asked herself as she walked down the cobblestone road. It was then that she came to Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes.

She hesitated as she looked through the window of the shop. She debated if she should go in or not. _You haven't seen Fred in almost six years_, a small voice in the back of her mind told her. _But George might be in there_, she told herself. _That's true, he might be, but you need to get over this. Did you honestly think you wouldn't see him once you got back?_ The voice said to her. She thought about it a bit longer. _What the hell_, she told herself as she opened the door to the shop.

When she walked in, she saw George at the counter helping a customer. _Merlin, he looks good_, she thought to herself as she tried to hide behind the shelves. She looked at all of the products with awe and admiration. She was so proud of them both for doing what they loved the most. She always knew that they would put their jokes to good use.

When George finished with the customer, he turned towards the girl that had walked in a little while ago. _She's beautiful_, he thought to himself. _She looks just like Je-_, he stopped himself before his finished the thought and shook his head. _Forget it, Weasley. She's never coming back so just get over it_, he told himself as he walked up to her and tapped her on the shoulder.

Jen turned around slowly, trying her best to avoid his eyes. "Can I help you, miss?" he asked her. She was a bit surprised by his question, he obviously didn't recognize her.

She opened her mouth to reply, but she was interrupted by a loud yell from the back of the store. "Bloody hell!" Fred had just walked out from the back room with a bunch of boxes in his arms. He dropped the boxes on the floor and ran to her.

She smiled at him, which turned into a squeal as he lifted her off of the ground and into a bear hug. "Hi Fred," she said with a laugh. George just stood there with a surprised and confused look on his face. He had no idea who this girl was or how Fred knew her.

Fred put her down and stepped back from her to look at her. "How are you? What are you doing here? How long will you be staying? Gods I've missed you," he said.

She laughed at him. "I'm good, I'm on vacation…of sorts, I don't know how long I will be here and I missed you too."

"Do you have plans for dinner? You have to come to the Burrow. Everyone will want to see you, especially Hermione and Ginny. They'll be so excited," Fred told her. George was now completely confused, he had no idea who this girl was, but he didn't want to be rude and ask.

Jen didn't know what to do. The thought of going to the Burrow scared her a little bit. She looked at George, who had a puzzled look on his face and then to Fred's smiling face. "I guess I could go. I'd love to see everyone. I've missed them all so much."

"Excellent! Where are you staying?" Fred asked her.

"The Leaky Cauldron, room number six."

"We'll come get you at half past 5, okay?" he asked her as he glanced up at the clock.

"I have to go to Madame Malkin's to pick up my order at half past four anyway, so I'll come here when I am done there."

"Great. See you then," he said to her. She nodded and left the shop.

George looked at his brother, still obviously confused. "Who in the name of Merlin was that and why have you invited her to dinner?"

Fred looked at his brother in disbelief. "You don't know who that was?" George shook his head. "You are such a prat, you know that? That was Jen."

George paled at what his brother had just told him. He couldn't believe his ears. _It can't be. It's not possible. She can't be here. How am I supposed to get over her if she's back? How-_, his thoughts were interrupted by Fred yelling his name and waving his hands in front of his face.

George shook himself and looked at his brother. "What?" Fred just shook his head and went to pick up the stuff that he had dropped earlier. George just stood there, looking at the door that Jen had left through five minutes earlier. _That couldn't have been her._ "Was that really her?" he asked Fred as he went to help him.

Fred just looked at George. "I don't understand how you _didn't_ know it was her. She hasn't changed all that much, with the exception that she has gotten more beautiful since the last time I saw her," Fred told him. George gave him a look, but Fred disregarded it.

"I know. When I first saw her, I thought that it was her, but I knew that it couldn't be her. I came to the realization years ago that she was never coming back. In the back of my mind, I hoped that she would, but I knew that she wouldn't. I've held onto that since she left. I just hope that there is some way that the two of us can at least become friends again," George said with a sigh.

Fred stopped what he was doing and looked at his brother. He sympathized with him, but he knew that Jen was really upset with him. "Look, I can't say that the two of you will become best friends again like you were before, but a nice heart-filled apology would be a very good start," Fred told him as he resumed what he was doing. George just nodded in agreement.

Jen had gone into Muggle London to do some clothes shopping. All though she had bought robes, she needed regular clothes to wear. As she browsed the shops, Jen had lost track of the time. Before she knew it, it was twenty-five past the hour and she was too far away from Diagon Alley to make it to Madame Malkin's in five minutes. She went into an abandoned alley so that she could Apparate out of sight from Muggles. When she was sure that the coast was clear, she disappeared.

Unfortunately, someone was there. Someone had seen her Disapparate from the alley. The figure stood in the shadows, covered by a hooded black cloak. The only part of the figure that you could see was their evil grin. _So, she has returned. The master will be pleased to hear this._

When she appeared in Diagon Alley, Jen had no time to drop off the stuff that she had bought in her room. She went straight to Madame Malkin's to pick up her new robes. Once she had gotten her things, she went to the twins' shop.

When she walked in, only Fred was there. When he noticed all of her bags, he whistled loudly. "Did you buy enough?"

She smiled at his comment. "Yeah, I guess I did. Listen, I'm gonna go put all this stuff back in my room and get changed. I will meet you back here when I'm done, okay?"

"Don't bother. We'll come get you there. I'm just waiting for George to finish getting dressed. Go put your stuff away and we'll see you there. Number six, right?"

She nodded. "Okay. I'll see you both there in a little bit," she said as she walked out the door. A moment later, George came downstairs.

"Where's Jen?" he asked as he looked at the clock. "I thought she said she would be here after she went to Madame Malkin's."

"She was just here. She had to bring her stuff up to her room so I told her that we would meet her there instead," Fred told him as he headed out of the shop. George nodded and followed him.

Jen had just finished getting dressed when there was a knock on her door. She opened her door to find George, not Fred, standing on the other side. "Hi," he said quietly as he quickly looked her over once. She was wearing a pair of hip hugger jeans, a black scoop neck top and a pair of sandals. _Gods she's beautiful._

Jen looked at him briefly, taking in the sight before her. He had gotten taller and had grown his hair long, even sporting a goatee. His eyes were just as green as she remembered them. _He's so gorgeous._ She mentally shook herself before giving him a slightly angry look. "Hi," she said coldly as she walked past him and down the stairs. He sighed and closed her door before following her.

"So, are you ready to go, Jen?" Fred asked her when George joined them near the fireplace.

She looked rather nervous about going to the Burrow. "Actually, I'm a little nervous. I haven't seen everyone in six years."

"Don't worry, I Flooed ahead and told Mum that you were coming to dinner. She was ecstatic," Fred assured her. She nodded as they each took a handful of Floo powder. One by one, the three of them left for the Burrow, not knowing that they were being watched.

The dark hooded figure sat at a table in the far corner of the Leaky Cauldron. He knew of the animosity between Jen and George and he was deciding on a way to use that to his advantage. _The master will be most pleased with me._

When she arrived at the Burrow, Jen was immediately attacked by Ginny and Hermione. They had missed their older friend terribly. Mrs. Weasley came in a pulled both girls off of Jen, telling them that dinner was ready.

Dinner went well and Jen was not asked about her parents yet. She was safe, until dessert that is. Once Mrs. Weasley had cleared away the dinner dishes and served dessert, the question came.

"So Jen, tell me. How are your parents doing?" Mr. Weasley asked her with a smile. Jen dropped her fork onto her plate with a clatter. She picked it up quickly, not wanting to make it seem as something was wrong.

"They are okay," she said staring at her plate. She was trying to fight the tears that were threatening to fall from her eyes. Knowing that she couldn't hold them back much longer, she excused herself from the table. "I need to use the bathroom." At first, no one thought anything of it, but Fred knew better. He had seen the tears threatening to fall and he knew that something was not right. He got up and followed her, but he wouldn't make it to the bathroom.

Jen was sitting on the stairs, crying hysterically, with her head in her hands. "What's the matter, Jen?" Fred asked her as he sat down next to her. She shook her head and continued to cry. Fred took her hands away from her face and forced her to look at him. "Please tell me what is wrong. You are one of my best friends," he told her pleadingly as he put his arm around her shoulders.

She looked up at him with her tear stained face and bloodshot eyes. She wiped her tears away and leaned against him, now looking at the floor. "My parents are dead," she mumbled.

"What?" he asked her as she started to cry again.

"When I came home from work this morning, I found them dead. He did this; he killed my parents," she sobbed. He pulled her into a hug and she just cried. He knew who she was referring to and it only made him grow mad. She cried for a little while longer, until they were interrupted by a muffled cough.

The both looked towards the bottom of the stairs to find Hermione and Ginny both looking at her with saddened faces. They had both apparently heard what Jen had told Fred because they both went up to her and hugged her tightly. They each gave her their sympathies.

Once the hug had ended, Jen stood up and walked back towards the kitchen. She paused at the door to wipe away her remaining tears. She knew that she had to tell the others eventually, so she decided to do it now and get it over and done with. When she sat down at the table, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, George, Harry and Ron gave her quizzical looks, each of them noticing that she had been crying. "Are you all right, dear?" Mrs. Weasley asked her.

Jen smiled and fought back the tears that still wanted to spill from her eyes. At that moment, Fred, Ginny and Hermione came into the kitchen, each with sullen expressions, and sat at the table. Before sitting down next to her, Fred put an empty glass and a bottle of Firewhisky in front of Jen.

"Thank you," she said to him as she poured herself a glass. The others were confused as to why Fred had given her the entire bottle, but he just made a motion with his hand that told them not to ask. Jen took a deep breath and told them all what had happened, starting with the death of her assistant Beth and ending with how she came to be sitting in their kitchen.

Jen had drunk about half of the bottle by the time she had finished her story. "Do you need anything, dear? Would you like to stay here for awhile?" Mrs. Weasley asked her.

Jen shook her head. "No thank you, Mrs. Weasley. I have already taken care of my money situation and I am currently staying at the Leaky Cauldron. I think that I am just going to take some time off and be by myself for a little while. I need to think about things and sort it all out," she told them as she finished her glass of Firewhisky.

"Well, if you ever decided that you want to return to work, let me know. I am sure that we can arrange to have your job transferred here from America," Mr. Weasley told her.

"Thank you, Mr. Weasley. I really appreciate it."

"Please call me Arthur."

"And call me Molly."

Jen nodded to both of them. "I'm gonna go and use the bathroom for real this time," she said as she stood up and left the room.

"Poor dear. Now she has no family left," Molly said as she stood up and cleared the dishes.

"She has all of us, Molly," Arthur told her as he got up and left the room. Molly nodded and followed him.

The others just sat there, not really knowing what to say. They sat there for a few minutes in silence, until Hermione spoke. "I feel so bad for her. She has no one now."

"She has us," Ginny said.

"But it's not the same," Harry told her. "It's different, not having any blood family and only having people very close to you, as if they were your real family."

"I wish there was a way we could help her," George said barely above a whisper. They all looked at him in surprise.

"I thought you didn't care about her, George?" Fred asked him sarcastically.

George's eyes flashed with anger. "Yeah, you're right, Fred. I don't care about her at all. I hate her more than you could possibly imagine and I wish that she had never come back to London." George heard a gasp behind him and he knew that Jen was standing behind him. He slowly turned around to see Jen standing in the doorway, her eyes rimmed with tears and as wide as galleons.

She stared at him for what seemed like an eternity. Then, without any movements, she disappeared. George turned back around and banged his head on the table. "Stupid," he said aloud. The others just looked at him with angered expressions, with the exception of Hermione, who had continued to look at the spot where Jen had been standing moments earlier.

"Yes, George. Stupid is definitely a word I would use to describe you right now," Fred said. George looked up at his brother and glared at him.

"I can't believe she heard me say that," George said as he put his face in his hands.

"I can't believe you _said_ that," Ron told him.

"What I don't understand is _how_ she did it," Hermione said. They all looked at her in confusion.

"What do you mean, Hermione? What did she do?" Ginny asked her.

"You mean you didn't notice that she Apparated without using her wand?" They all shook their heads.

"I remember her telling me about that. She had been learning wandless magic, but that was years ago. She must have gotten much better since then," Fred told them.

Hermione was about to say something when Mrs. Weasley walked into the kitchen. She noticed that Jen was not there so she inquired about it. "Where did Jen go? I saw her walk in here a moment ago." The others didn't know what to say. They weren't sure if George was ready to feel his mother's wrath just yet.

George, however, didn't seem to care. "She left," he mumbled. She asked him and why and he hung his head. "Because she heard me say that I didn't care about her and that I hated her," he told his mother gloomily.

She slapped him in the back of the head. "George Arthur Weasley! How could you say something like that? Especially after she just lost her parents. You best hope that nothing happens to her or you will be hexed into the next life. Do you understand me?"

George sank lower in his chair. "Yes, Mum," he mumbled as she left. He felt completely disgusted with himself. He didn't mean what he had said and he _definitely_ didn't mean for her to hear him. He put his head in his hands and just sat at the kitchen table.

The others just looked at him, not knowing what to say. They knew that he didn't really mean a word of what he had said. But the also knew that the tension that was already between Jen and George didn't help.

George, not being able to handle being at the Burrow any longer, decided to Apparate home. Fred sighed, knowing that he should follow George in case he decided to drink away his sorrow, which he had done on many occasions and when Christmas time came around. Fred said goodnight to everyone and Apparated home.

Jen appeared in Diagon Alley, just outside the Leaky Cauldron. She went straight up to her room, threw herself onto her bed and cried her eyes out. _I can't believe he said he hated me_, she thought to herself. _You know he didn't mean that_, the voice in the back of her head told her. _How can you say that? He hasn't spoken to me in six years and I heard him say that he hated me_, she told the voice. _You love him. Don't let part of a conversation hurt you this way. You don't know why he said that_, the voice told her. _It doesn't matter anymore. If he doesn't care about me, then I won't care about him_, she told both the voice and herself.

Without another thought, Jen left her room and went down to the pub. She sat at the bar and ordered a butterbeer. Tom handed it to her and she downed it in one gulp. She pushed the bottle away from her and asked Tom for a Firewhisky. Tom complied and she downed that in one gulp as well. Tom looked at her oddly, but he didn't dare say anything to her. He knew that something had to be really wrong for Jen to drink.

As Jen sat at the bar, the dark hooded man watched her. He had been told of her abilities, but knew that she was no match for him in her present state. He watched her down about seven more drinks before she got up shakily and left the pub. He knew that it was time. _The master will be very pleased with me._

The figure silently followed her out of the pub. He saw her leaning up against the wall, barely sober enough to move. _This is going to be easier than I thought._ When he neared her, she became aware of his presence. She instinctively went for her wand, but her reflexes were off. He was much quicker that she was and he landed a punch across her face, which knocked her to the ground. Not able to get back up, the man grabbed her and hit her again before dragging her into a nearby alley.

He pressed her against the wall and looked her over. She had grown quite a bit from her Hogwarts days. She was a woman now, and a beautiful one at that. "The master wants to see you," he hissed in her ear. She began to grow aware of her surroundings and realized the situation that she was in. She tried to use her wandless magic, but she was in no condition, so she settled for trying to physically fight. That proved to be unhelpful as he just hit her again, causing her lower lip to split. "You're a feisty one, aren't you? I think I will have my way with you before I bring you to the master," he told her as he took both of her wrists in one hand. He ripped her shirt open and began to kiss her fiercely.

She shuddered at his touch; she had never felt the intimate touch of a man before and she certainly didn't want it to be this man's touch. She continued to fight, but it only turned him on more. He ripped her pants down and then his own.

She tried to cry out as he forced himself into her, but she was unsuccessful. Her throat was dry and she felt nothing but excruciating pain. He pushed harder into her, only causing her pain to grow.

He felt himself empty into her and he loosened his grip on her wrists momentarily. All though she was beaten and battered, she knew that this was her only chance to get away. She lifted her knew up quickly, catching him in the groin. He cried out in pain and slumped to the ground. She pulled her pants up and ran as fast as her body would allow her to.

Somehow, she had managed to find her way to the twins' shop. There was no direct access to their upstairs flat from the outside, so she began to bang on the door to the shop. "Fred, are you up there? Please help me! Fred!" she cried. Her voice left her, but she continued to pound on the door. She pounded on the door until all of her energy was gone and she couldn't do it any longer. The light in the shop came on just as she passed out on the ground. Her pain and exhaustion had finally overcome her.

George had come to the door to see who had been banging. He did not expect to see what he saw. Jen was lying on the ground and she was a complete mess. Her shirt was ripped, there was blood all over her pants and there were very noticeable cuts and bruises on her face and wrists. "Bloody hell! Fred!" he called up to his brother as he scooped up her battered body.

When he came up the stairs, Fred gasped at Jen's state. He quickly went into the bathroom to get a cloth and then into the kitchen to get some ice as George laid her on the sofa and put a blanket over her. Fred came in and out the ice over one of her already dark bruises while George Flooed St. Mungo's.

Moments later, a Healer and a nurse entered their flat and went straight to where Jen was lying on the sofa. They looked her over and decided to bring her to St. Mungo's immediately. When they inquired about her family, Fred simply told them that they were her only family. Fred and George went to St. Mungo's; George cradled Jen to his chest as he went through the grate.

Once they had gotten there, Jen was taken into a room to be checked over. Fred and George remained in the waiting room; George paced, impatiently waiting for news.

Fred watched his brother pacing and saw the concern in his eyes. He knew that George felt guilty for what had happened, and he should, but Fred wasn't going to tell him so. "Can you please stop pacing now?" Fred asked him.

"I can't," he responded as he continued to pace. Fred looked sympathetically at his brother. He was about to say something, but was interrupted by the Healer. "Is she okay?" George asked as soon as the Healer cleared his throat.

"Mr. Weasley, Jennifer is going to recover. However, she will be permanently scarred by this experience."

"What happened to her?" Fred asked.

"Well, she was awake just long enough to tell me what had happened," he began. He took a deep breath and continued. "She told me that she had left the Leaky Cauldron to get some air and that she felt someone coming towards her. She tried to reach for her wand, but her attacker was too quick for her. He punched her in the face and she fell down." George took a sharp breath. "Then, she told me that her attacker told her that his master wanted to see her, but that he wanted to have his way with her first." Both Fred and George were fuming with anger by this point. "She said that he ripped her shirt open and began touching and kissing her. And when she tried to get away, it only made him hurt her more. He had hit her again and then ripped her pants down and proceeded to ravage her." George punched the wall in anger. He muttered a spell to fix it as blood began to seep from his fresh wound.

"Who did this to her?" Fred asked.

"We do not know. Miss Henley did not tell me and I do not think that she wished to disclose that information to me. She seemed to be afraid of saying so," the Healer had told them.

"How is she right now?" Fred asked.

"She is resting at the moment. She has been healed and her blood replenished. Her bruises will fade in time, but the memory of this event will stay with her forever."

"Can't you just Obliviate it from her memory?" Fred asked.

"Even if I did, it would not make this memory go away." Seeing both men confused, the Healer told them the rest. "All though it only happened a short while ago, we ran some tests on her. One of the tests came back positive." The Healer hesitated for a brief moment. "I'm afraid to say that Miss Henley is pregnant."

George froze at the Healer's last words. _No…this cannot be._ He fell to his knees and covered his face with his hands. Fred put his hand on his brother's shoulder. "Can we go see her?" Fred asked the Healer. The Healer nodded and told them which room she was in. "Go to Jen's room. I'm going to owl the family and tell them that we are here, okay?" George nodded and managed to pull himself up from the floor and head towards her room.

When he reached her door, he paused. He had no clue as to what to say to her. He felt so guilty about this and he didn't think that he could bear the site of her lying in the hospital bed.

He decided that it didn't matter anymore because she needed him. He pushed open the door and gasped at the site of her. _Sweet Merlin, what did he do to you?_ He sat in the chair that was next to the bed, taking her hand delicately in his own and looked at her sleeping form. He saw tubes of blood running into her arms and the bruises on her wrists and face. He felt more and more guilt wash over him as he looked at her. _This is all your fault, Weasley. If you hadn't gone and said what you did, then she never would have left the Burrow._

Fred had entered the room and took a sharp breath when he saw her. He noticed George holding Jen's hand, but didn't say anything about it. "Just sent the owl. They should be here soon," he told George.

True to his word, the rest of the family arrived shortly after. They were all disturbed by Jen's appearance and asked the twins to tell them what happened. Seeing that George was not going to be able to tell them, Fred did. The entire family was appalled that this sort of thing happened to her and they each voiced their thoughts about it. Eventually, they all left, leaving Fred and George alone with her.

Fred had left to get them both a cup of tea. George stayed with Jen, resting his head on her bed. It was then that George had felt Jen's hand move. He looked up at her and saw her eyes flutter. "Jen? Can you hear me?" he asked, not letting go of her hand. She opened her eyes and looked at George, pain clearly in her eyes.

"George, is that you?" she asked. He nodded and she smiled. It felt good for her to be around a familiar face, even if it belonged to George. She went to sit up, but George told her not to and she laid back down, wincing in pain as she did so.

Fred has just come back into the room and saw that Jen was awake. "Hey. How are you feeling?" he asked her as he handed George a cup of tea.

"I'm okay, I guess. I hurt all over," she said as a tear slid down her cheek. "I just wish I could have been stronger. Then I would have been able to stop him," she said as she turned away from them and began to cry.

"Don't say that. You are a very brave woman and you are a very powerful witch. You've just had a very bad day. Don't blame yourself," Fred told her as he took the hand that George was not holding.

She turned and looked at George, her pain evident in her eyes. "I thought you hated me and didn't care about me?" she asked him through her tears.

George looked at her with anything but hateful eyes. He wiped away the tears that were falling from her eyes. "I will always care about you and I could never hate you," he told her as he placed a short and gentle kiss on her forehead. Fred saw the look on George's face as he kissed her forehead. He knew that George wanted to say so much more to her than that, but the time just wasn't right. "Now, who did this to you?" he asked her as he sat down in the chair. She looked at him in pain, but didn't say anything. That was her way of telling him that she didn't want to say. "Tell me, please." She didn't look away, but she still said nothing. The two of them looked at each other for a little while, Fred realized that they were having a silent battle about her telling him. _They haven't had one of those in a very long time_, Fred thought to himself. _Not since before she left._

Finally, it seemed as if George won their battle because she opened her mouth to say, but no sound came out. George leaned closer to hear her better and she repeated what she had said. George was still unable to hear so he leaned so close to her that his ear was almost touching her mouth. She said the name again and he heard it loud and clear this time. His body stiffened and he sat upright, his face was completely red with anger. "What did she say?" Fred asked him. George said nothing; he only stood up and left the room. Fred looked at Jen in confusion, hoping that she would explain it to him.

"You have to stop him, Fred."

"Why? Where is he going?"

"He's going to find and kill Malfoy."


	7. Return to Normalcy?

24

Chapter 7

Return to Normalcy?

Fred stared at Jen for a few minutes with his mouth hanging open. He was trying to process what she had just said to him. _Did she just say that Malfoy is the one that did this to her?_

Seeing his expression, Jen knew that she had to say something. "Fred, don't do anything irrational. Just stop George before he lands himself in Azkaban." Fred's expression softened slightly. "Don't worry about Malfoy. He _will_ get his just punishment. That is a promise." When he saw the look in her eyes, he knew that she was serious.

He nodded and opened the door to leave. "I'll owl mum, so that she can come and stay with you. You never know," he told her as he left the room. She knew that he was concerned that Malfoy would come to the hospital. Not long after he left, Mrs. Weasley came in, followed by Ron, Hermione, Harry and Ginny. Jen smiled warmly at them and they returned the smile.

While they visited, Jen never mentioned anything about being pregnant. Not knowing if she even knew, none of them said anything. It was when Mrs. Weasley went to get them all some tea that she found the Healer that had been treating Jen. "Excuse me, but I have a question pertaining to Jennifer Henley." The Healer nodded and gestured for Molly to ask her question. "Well, I was wondering if Jen has been told that she is pregnant. She hasn't mentioned it to any of us and we are afraid to say something to her."

The Healer sighed and looked at Molly. "Unfortunately, Jen had fallen asleep before we had found out about the pregnancy. I was actually on my way to her room now so that I could tell her," he told her.

"With all due respect, sir, but would you mind if I told her? I think that she would prefer to hear this from me," Molly told him sincerely.

"That would be fine with me. Just let her know that if she has any questions to just call me. My name is Healer Marks."

"I will do that. Thank you," she told him as she headed back to Jen's room with the tea. When she entered the room, Jen was looking through a bunch of photos that had been taken since she left. Mrs. Weasley saddened when she saw Jen's happy and smiling face. She knew that she would crush that with the news she had.

Jen looked up to see her standing by the door. "Hi, Mrs. Weasley," she said. Molly did her best to smile.

"Can you lot wait outside for a moment? I need to talk to Jen alone," she said as she looked at Ron, Ginny, Harry and Hermione. They all sensed what she wanted to tell their friend so they left quietly.

"Is something wrong, Mrs. Weasley?" Jen asked once they had left. Mrs. Weasley sighed and sat in the chair next to Jen's bed.

"I don't really know how to say this, so I'm just going to say it." Molly paused for a moment, thinking about how she was going to say this. "When you came in last night, the Healers ran some tests on you in order to make sure that you were okay internally. I had asked them if I could be the one to tell you since I thought that you would rather hear it from me." Molly stopped to take a sip of her tea before continuing; Jen waited for her to finish. Molly looked up at Jen and felt so bad for her. "One of the tests came back positive. I am so sorry to have to tell you this, but… you're pregnant."

Jen gave no reaction to what Molly had said. It was as if she didn't even hear it. _Merlin, tell me that I heard her wrong. Tell me that I did not just hear that I was pregnant._ "What did you say?" Jen asked in a soft voice.

"The Healers told us that you were pregnant. They would have told you sooner, but you had fallen asleep before they found out. Healer Marks was on his way in to tell you, but I asked him if I could do it instead," Molly told her. "Healer Marks told me that if you have any questions, that you should call him."

Jen just sat there, now looking out the window. She wasn't sure how to react. On the one hand, a child would give her a family again. All though she had the Weasleys, she had no blood family of her own. She hadn't expected to become a mother just yet, but she knew that she would be a good mother. The other part of her was screaming with anger. She was so angry with Malfoy for what he had done to her. She had hoped that she could have had this obliviated from her memory, but now it could not be so.

Tears began to form in her eyes as she looked out the window. _What am I going to do now?_ Molly stood up and pulled Jen into a hug. Jen just held on, crying like a child would to a mother.

Molly felt so bad for Jen. She knew that Jen had been a virgin before this and that she was now going to have to carry this burden with her for the rest of her life. "Don't you worry about a thing. No matter what happens, we will be there for you. We will all help you through this in any way we can. You won't ever be alone again," Molly told her as Jen continued to cry.

At that moment, Harry, Ginny, Ron and Hermione came back into the room. They saw Jen crying and they all felt so bad. Ginny and Hermione joined Jen and Mrs. Weasley in the hug. After a few minutes, Jen loosened her hold on Mrs. Weasley and wiped the tears from her eyes.

"I'm going to keep it," she told them. They looked at her in confusion. "The baby. I am going to keep the baby and raise it on my own."

"But you won't be alone, Jen. We will all be right here with you," Ginny told her. Harry, Ron and Hermione nodded in agreement.

"And you will be staying with us at the Burrow as soon as they let you out of here," Molly told her. She started to protest, but Molly wouldn't hear of it. "I will not have it any other way. Besides, you'll be better protected with us."

"And it beats the Leaky Cauldron," Harry added. Jen smiled at his comment.

"I don't know what to say," Jen told them. "Thank you. All of you. It's good to know that I still have someone."

"You'll always have us," Hermione told her warmly. "I have to go to work now. I'm on duty in five minutes," she told her as she looked at the clock on the wall.

"Me too. We'll come back visit you when we go on break," Ginny told her. Hermione nodded in agreement. Hermione gave Ron a kiss and she and Ginny left the room.

"Well, I hate to go too, but I have practice early in the morning," Ron told them. They nodded in understanding and he Apparated back to the Burrow.

Harry looked at Jen and gave her a smile. "I hate to do this too, but I have to go. If I don't get to sleep soon, I'll be a wreck in the morning and Kingsley will have my arse." Jen laughed at him and gave him a hug before he Apparated home.

"Would you like some more tea, dear?" Molly asked her. Jen nodded and Molly went to leave, but was stopped but Jen calling her name.

"Molly, wait. Allow me to get it," Jen told her. Molly looked confused, but returned to her bedside anyway. With a wave of her hand, their teacups refilled and a plate of biscuits appeared. "There are a lot of things about me that none of you know," Jen told her when she saw the look on Molly's face.

"No one but me, you mean," came a voice from the door. Both women looked up to see Albus Dumbledore standing in the doorway. He smiled at them both and entered the room. "Miss Henley, I am most relieved to see that you are all right. Is there anything that I can do for you?"

"Actually, there is something you can do for me. I was wondering if you could arrange for me to return to work as soon as possible. Arthur had mentioned something to me about transferring my job from America to London?" Jen asked him.

Albus smiled at her. "I knew that you would ask this of me, so I took the liberty of already making the arrangements for you. You can start whenever you feel ready."

"Thank you, Albus. You really don't miss a thing, do you?" she asked him.

"I have known you for thirteen years, Miss Henley, and I have worked along side you for six of those years. I have seen the way you work and what you have created. You love your job and I know that you wouldn't be happy if you weren't doing it. Besides, I received your owl, which I must say was a work of pure genius, detailing the progress of your research. You need this job to continue that research and keep up with your work," he told her.

"I take it that the spell on the letter worked. I will have to inform the rest of the Order at the next meeting. When is the next meeting?" she asked.

"The next meeting will be as soon as you are able to attend. It will be a special meeting in your honor, Miss Henley." She smiled at him. "I must be going, now. I have a meeting with the staff in a few moments. I will talk to you again soon, Miss Henley," he told her as he nodded his head to her. He turned towards Molly and nodded his head at her, "Molly," he said before he left the room.

Once he left, Molly turned to Jen and gave her an odd sort of look. Jen saw this and knew exactly what she was thinking. "I cannot tell you what he was talking about, Molly. I have been sworn to secrecy, but all will be revealed soon. I promise." Molly nodded and took a bite of her biscuit.

MEANWHILE

George had left St. Mungo's in search of Draco Malfoy. He was shaking with anger over what he had done to Jen. He was walking down the cobblestone street in Diagon Ally searching for him. It was when he was starting towards Knockturn Ally that he was stopped by someone grabbing his arm. Instinctively, George whipped out his wand and pointed it at the person who had grabbed him. "Hold on there, George," Fred said. George lowered his wand and looked at his brother.

"What are you doing here, Fred?'

"Stopping you from doing something stupid."

"You will do no such thing. I will tear Malfoy apart for what he's done."

"It's not your place to do this, George. If you kill him, you will go to Azkaban for sure."

"Then I will go with the satisfaction of knowing that the little ferret has paid for what he's done."

"Then you'll never get to be with Jen," Fred told him; anger evident in his voice.

George's expression softened immediately. "I'll never get to be with her anyway," he said gloomily.

"You don't know that, George." George huffed at Fred's comment. "That's why I am here. I never would have known if Jen hadn't sent me to stop you. She doesn't want you going to Azkaban because of this. She really does care about you, you know." George sighed and looked away from Fred.

"Do you really think she cares about me?"

Fred smiled at his twin. "She cares more about you than she should for the way you treated her. I think that the two of you can work through this and become friends again."

George smiled widely at his brother. "I hope you're right, Fred. Come on; let's get back to St. Mungo's so I can tell Jen that I was able to stop you." George nodded in agreement and they both Apparated back to St. Mungo's.

Fred and George walked into Jen's room to find their mother listening to a story that Jen was telling her. "Hi, Jen. How are you feeling?" Fred asked her as both he and George sat down in the chairs near her bed. Jen nodded and looked at George and then back to Fred.

"Is he okay? You were able to find him in time, right?" Jen asked Fred. He nodded and she let out a sigh of relief.

Molly smiled at this. She knew that someone should stay with Jen during the night, so she decided to take matters into her own hands. "Fred, who is opening up the store tomorrow?"

"I am, why?" Fred asked her.

"George, would you please do me a favor and stay here with Jen tonight. I don't want her to be alone," she asked her son.

"That's okay, Molly. I don't need-"

"Yeah, I'll stay. Just let me go home and get some clothes for tomorrow. I'll be right back," he said just before Apparating to the Burrow.

"I'll be back in the morning so George can go to work. I will see you then, Molly told Jen. "Fred, stay with her till George gets back." Fred nodded.

"Thank you, Molly. I will see you tomorrow." She hugged the older woman and she was gone with a small pop. "Now what am I going to do?" she asked Fred.

"What do you mean? Are you referring to George?" Jen nodded. "I think that this time will be good for the both of you. It will give you both a chance to get reacquainted. It has been six years. Who knows, maybe the two of you could even be friends again."

"I'd really like that."

"And so would he." George appeared just after Fred made his last comment. "Well, I best be off now. I shall see you at work tomorrow, George. Jen, I will come visit you tomorrow when I get out of work." The both nodded and he disappeared.

There was an awkward silence in the room after Fred left. To take his mind off of the eerie silence, George went to change into his pajamas. When he came out, Jen was looking out the window, staring into the dark night. "Did you know?" she asked him.

"Know what?" he asked her as he turned to look at her as she stared out the window.

"About the baby. Did you know?" she asked him again.

"Yeah. Healer Marks told me and Fred not long after we brought you here," he told her. She nodded, but continued to look out the window.

"I've decided to keep it." George looked at her with confusion. "I have decided to keep the baby and I plan on raising it by myself. I know I can do it."

"But you won't be alone. We will all be here for you. You're family to us."

Jen smiled and looked at him. "That's what you mother told me earlier. She's even making me move to the Burrow. It's her way of knowing that I am safe."

"Really? Well, at least then you'll be on familiar ground and you'll be better protected and cared for than you would be at the Leaky Cauldron."

"Thank, George. Would you like a cup of tea?" He nodded his head and she waved her hand over the two empty cups and they were instantly filled with tea. "That should be right," she told him as he took the cup she held out to him.

He took a sip and smiled. "Just the way I like it. I can't believe you remembered," he told her.

"Why would you think I would forget?" she asked him in a slightly hurtful tone.

"Because we haven't talked in a really long time. I figured that you would forget about me," he told her as he stared fixedly on the floor.

"Did you forget about me?" she asked him. He shook his head, but still kept his eyes on the floor. "Then why would I have forgotten about you? You _were_ my best friend, George. I couldn't just forget about you," she told him as tears threatened to fall.

"Would it be wrong of me to ask if we could start over?" he asked her hopefully.

Jen smiled at him. "I'd love nothing more." The two of them stayed up and talked about what had happened over the past six years. Both realized that the other never mentioned a significant other, but neither one would dare ask.

Four months had passed since Jen's accident. She was now living at the Burrow and had gone back to work. Her pregnancy was going very well and all of the Weasleys were there for her every step of the way. Jen and George had been slowly rekindling their lost friendship as well.

One day, when Jen had the day off, she was sitting out by the pond with her guitar. She had just finishing the lyrics to a song that she had been working on since she attended the Muggle university in America and she was eager to play it. As she sat there, a figure walked up from behind her. It wasn't until that person stepped on a twig did she become aware of their presence.

"You shouldn't sneak up on people like that, Ron. You could give them a heart attack." Ron smiled and sat down next to her on the grass.

"That song was beautiful. What is it called?"

"Thank you. I started writing it when I attended the Muggle university in the States. I learned how to play the guitar and the piano there."

"That must have been cool."

"Yeah, it was. The title of the song is still undecided, but I will come up with one before the wedding," she told him with a smile.

Ron's jaw dropped. "How did you know? I haven't even asked her yet," he told her with surprise and confusion in his voice.

"Your father asked me to help find you a job since I have a lot of connections. I told him that I would look into it."

Ron smiled at her. "Really? You'll help me? Wicked! I was actually going to ask you to help me anyway."

"Trust me, she'll say yes. But I think the _real_ issue you have is whether or not you want to give up Quidditch."

"How did you know that?" he asked her with wide eyes.

"Ron, I've known you for thirteen years now. For even longer than I've known you, you have wanted to play Quidditch for the Cannons. The best part about that dream is that you actually get to do it and you have been doing it for three years now. Most people, both Muggle and wizard alike, would kill to be doing what they have always dreamed of. I also know that you love Hermione more than anything and that you have loved her for about ten years." Ron blushed at her comment, but nodded in agreement.

"I think that the decision to quit Quidditch and marry Hermione is the right one. The way I see it, you're already living your childhood dream. Maybe now it's time to go after your adulthood dream. I know that you have dreamed of marrying Hermione and eventually having children, but this dream might be a little difficult if you are gone for eight or nine months out of the year. I think it's time for you take the next step in your life."

Jen sat there for a moment, as if contemplating something. "Well, I have found you a job, but you will only be allowed to know what it is _after_ you have finalized your resignation with the Cannons.

"You found me a job? What is it? When can I start?" he asked excitedly.

"I am not telling you until after you resign from the Cannons and they have finalized it," Jen told him firmly.

Ron nodded, but was still happy. He decided to send out his resignation letter right now. "I'm going to go see when dinner will be ready. I'll talk to you later," he told her as he stood up. She nodded and picked up her guitar again. "Thank you so much, Jen," he said as he headed towards the house.

Jen smiled as she watched him go back to the house. _He's going to send in his resignation now_, she thought. _But am I ready for a new assistant? Especially after what happened to Beth._ A tear slid down her cheek as she thought about her old friend. Her death still didn't sit right with her and she knew that something had happened to her other than what they all thought. _I still have to talk to Dumbledore about that._ Jen started to play her guitar again; totally losing herself in the song and its meaning.

A few days later, Jen was in her room writing a letter Dumbledore when Isabella flew into the window with a letter attached to her leg. "Hi, Isabella. What do you have for me today?" Jen asked her faithful owl as she untied the letter. She saw that the letter was addressed to Ron and it was from the Chudley Cannons. Jen smiled to herself. _This must be his resignation confirmation_, she thought to herself. "Ron!" she called as she placed the letter on her desk and resumed the letter she was writing.

A few moments later, Ron appeared in her open doorway. "Did you call me?" he asked. She nodded and beckoned him into the room.

"It seems that Isabella was carrying a letter for you that she just delivered to me," Jen told him as she held up the letter. "May I ask why Isabella carried this letter without my knowledge?" she asked with raised eyebrows.

Ron looked at Jen with pleading eyes. "I'm sorry, Jen. I know I should've asked you before I borrowed Isabella, but Pig was carrying a letter for Ginny and Errol is way too old. I didn't think you would be mad. I'm sorry."

Jen smiled at him. "I don't mind that you used her, but next time let me know. Here is your letter," she told him as she handed him the letter. He took it and quickly read it; a smile crossing his face. "What does it say?" she asked. He handed her the letter and told her to read it.

_Dear Mr. Weasley,_

_We are very sorry to have received your resignation a few days ago. You have always shown more than 100 in practice and during games. You have been a great asset to this organization and we will miss you dearly._

_We hope that you enjoy your new life with your wife and you will always have a position here if you ever change your mind._

_Consider this a confirmation that your resignation has been received and processed. Your final pay will be deposited into your Gringott's vault._

_We all wish you the best of luck._

_The Chudley Cannons_

_PS – If you ever want tickets, just ask. We will be more than happy to oblige._

When Jen finished reading the letter, she folded it up and handed it back to Ron. "So what are you going to do now that you are unemployed?"

"Well, I was kind of hoping that you would tell me about the job that you found for me so that I can propose to Hermione tonight," Ron told her.

Jen smirked at him. "I knew that you were going to say that. I guess I could tell you about your new job, but I have a few questions for you before I tell you." Ron nodded, though unsure about her questions. "What were your N.E.W.T. grades in Charms, Potions, Transfiguration, DADA and Herbology?"

Ron raised his eyebrows at her question. He was certainly not expecting her to ask him that. "Well, err… I got an O in DADA and Transfiguration, an E in Charms and Potions and an A in Herbology. Why do you ask?"

"Because the job I found for you requires you to have good marks in those subjects."

"Oh. So do I have good enough marks for the job?" Jen nodded with a smile on her face. "So, what's the job then?" he asked hopefully.

Jen's smile got even wider. "Congratulations, Ron. You have just been hired by me. You are my new assistant."

Ron's eyes bulged out of his head. "Are you serious? You're hiring me? Are you sure?"

"I'm positive. I am going to need an assistant when the baby comes anyway," she told him as she rubbed her belly. "I want you and Hermione to be happy and I know that she would be happy if you were around more. Plus, I think that you could be helpful to me. What do you say? Do you accept the job?"

"Do you really need to ask? Of course I'll take the job. When do I start?"

"Tomorrow morning. After breakfast." Ron got up and hugged her tightly. He thanked her and ran from the room. Jen laughed at him. She was glad that Ron and Hermione would finally going to be happy. _I just wish that I could do the same_, she thought to herself. She sighed and continued writing her letter to Dumbledore. When she finished, she said the incantation to conceal its contents before tying it to Isabella's leg. Once Isabella was out of sight, Jen headed downstairs to help Mrs. Weasley with dinner.

When she entered the kitchen, Jen found both Fred and George sitting at the table eating some cookies. "Hey guys," she said. They both said hello in return. "Do you need help with anything, Molly?" she asked.

"Yes dear. Could you get out the plates and silverware from the cupboard and set the table for me?"

"Sure. How many will there be for dinner tonight?"

"Me, Arthur, you, Ron, Hermione, Harry, Ginny, Fred and George," Molly told her. Jen nodded and started to take out enough table settings for nine people. Unfortunately, Jen could not reach all of the items she needed. Her large belly and lack of height got in her way. She was about to reach for her wand when a long arm reached over her and took the remainder of the table settings from the cupboard for her.

"Here you go," George said as he placed them on the counter n front of her. Jen turned around, looked up into his green eyes and smiled at him.

"Thank you, George." He smiled in return, shrugged his shoulders and left the kitchen; grabbing a few cookies as he left. Jen stared after him for a few moments before busying herself by setting the table. Both Fred and Molly watched the interaction and raised their eyebrows at each other. Then, as if they silently agreed, Fred left the room to talk to George so Molly could talk to Jen.

Kitchen

As Jen set the table, Molly stirred the pot that was on the stove. Molly turned around to find Jen sitting in a chair rubbing her stomach as she stared blankly at the door that George had left through a little while ago. Molly smiled to herself as she watched the younger woman. "You still love him, don't you?" she finally asked as she sat down next to Jen.

Jen was immediately brought out of her reverie and looked at Molly with wide eyes. "Excuse me? What do you mean, Molly?" Jen asked her, hoping that she hadn't heard her correctly.

Molly laughed at Jen's reaction. "Just what I said, dear. I asked you if you were still in love with George." A blush began to creep up Jen's neck, which caused Molly to laugh. "You don't have to answer that if you don't want to. I can see how that would be awkward since I am his mother, but you don't hide it very well. I have seen the way you look at him when you think no one is looking." Jen blushed and looked away from Molly. "I can see it in your eyes now, the same way I did six years ago."

Jen's gaze instantly fell back upon Mrs. Weasley. "With all due respect, Molly, I would really prefer not to talk about this right now."

"I understand, dear. I just think that you deserve to be happy for once in your life and I think that you would find that happiness with George. Why don't you talk to him?"

"There's nothing to talk about, Molly. We are only just becoming friends again. There is no need to ruin our friendship again," Jen mumbled.

"That may be, but how do you know that he doesn't feel the same way about you?" Molly asked her, knowing full well that her son was absolutely head over heels for her. Jen raised her eyebrows at the older woman.

"Because I know that he doesn't. If he ever felt anything for me, then he wouldn't have let me go the way he did six years ago. I waited for an owl from him for so long. I eventually gave up on him. I tried to write him so many times, but my heart just couldn't bear the silence I would have received in return." A tear slid down Jen's cheek and she hastily wiped it away. "I've wanted to come back here so badly during the years that I was away, but my heart ached too much. I wish I never moved," Jen said as several more tears escaped her eyes.

Molly put a comforting hand on Jen's shoulder. "I understand how you feel. I would most likely be saying the same thing if I was in your situation. But maybe you should just let the past go and start over. I wish there was a way to change what has happened to you over the years, but, unfortunately, there is no way. However, I _do_ believe that there is happiness out there for you and George will be the start of it all," Molly told her as she patted her back. "Maybe it's time to finally give your heart what it has been denied for all these years." Molly stood up and resumed her cooking. Jen just sat in the chair, rubbing her belly and staring blankly at the kitchen door.

Fred and George's Room

Fred walked into the room to George lying on his bed, staring at the ceiling with a blank look on his face. "What's the matter, George?" Fred asked, knowing very well what was wrong with him.

"I feel lost, Fred. Completely and totally lost," George told him as he continued to stare at the ceiling.

"You still love her, don't you?" Fred asked him as he sat down on his own bed.

"If I could only express just how much," George told him. Fred's heart went out to his brother. He just wished that the two of them would finally admit their feelings to each other that way they could both finally find happiness together.

"So why don't you tell her then?"

George sighed. "I can't just walk up to her and tell her that I have been in love with her for almost ten years. Our friendship died during the six years she was gone and we are only just starting to mend it. Why would I want to screw it up now?"

"Because I have been by your side every Christmas when you drink yourself completely stupid. I have been by your side when you have broken down crying because you miss her so much. I have been by your side ever since she left and I've been trying to pick up your broken pieces ever since. You have been miserable since she left, but now… now you're starting to become the old George again." Fred stood up to leave the room, but paused when he reached the door. "All I'm saying is don't deny yourself the one thing that you really, truly want. It's been killing you for six years now, don't add more time to that." With those words, Fred left the room. George just lay in his bed, staring at the ceiling with a blank expression on his face.

That night, the Weasleys, Jen, Harry and Hermione found themselves seated at the table eating dinner. They had just finished eating dinner and Jen was helping Molly clear the dishes away when Ron cleared his throat.

"May I have you attention, please? I have something to tell you all." They all stopped their conversations and looked at Ron. He waited until his mother and Jen had rejoined the table before continuing. "I wanted to tell you all that I resigned from the Cannons today."

"What!" both Hermione and Mrs. Weasley cried. Harry, Fred and George all gaped at him in shock. Jen and Mr. Weasley just sat there with no reaction, since they both knew about it.

"How could you do that, Ron?" Hermione asked him. She looked rather mad about it. "Why would you just quit your job without even talking to me about it first?" she asked him in a hurtful tone.

Ron looked across the table and saw Jen looking at him. She gave him a slight nod and he continued. "Don't be upset with me, 'Mione. I got another job."

She looked at him with curiosity, as did the rest of his family. "You did? Doing what?" she asked him as she wiped her eyes.

Ron looked from Hermione to the rest of his family to Jen and then back to Hermione. "I'm going to be working for the Ministry."

"What are you going to be doing there?" Harry asked him.

Ron quickly glanced at Jen and then back to Harry. "I got an awesome job. Jen helped me get it." At that, everyone looked at her.

She looked at everyone in return. "What are you all looking at me like that?"

"You knew that he was leaving the Cannons?" Fred asked her with raised eyebrows.

"Yes, I did. How else do you think I knew to get him a job?" Jen responded.

Hermione was looking at Jen through teary eyes. She looked even more upset now than she did before. "Why would you help him throw away his dream? After all he's worked for. You shouldn't have done that, Jen," Hermione told her in a rather harsh tone.

Jen just looked at Hermione in surprise. _I can't believe she's getting mad at me about this._ "I'll tell you what, Hermione. Why don't you let Ron finish telling you about his new job and why he even _thought_ about quitting the Cannons before you go and get mad at me? If I was in your position, I would bloody well be thanking Merlin." With that, Jen left the kitchen; tears beginning to fall.

George stared after Jen, not fully understanding what had just happened. He knew that she would be crying by now and he was determined to be there for her. "I'll be back," he muttered as he stood up and left the room.

Ron looked at Hermione in shock. "Why did you say that to her, 'Mione?"

"She helped you give up your dream. Friends aren't supposed to do that."

"'Mione, did it ever occur to you that maybe she was helping me give up one dream for another one? A better one?"

Hermione looked at him in confusion, along with everyone else. "What are you going on about, Ron?"

"Well, this is not how I planned for this to happen, but here goes." He turned in his chair to fully face Hermione. "Hermione, we have known each other for eleven years now. We've been best friends for eleven years and we have been together for the last six years. Since we've graduated, you have become a very successful Healer at St. Mungo's and I have been the Keeper for the Chudley Cannons. My whole life, all I have ever wanted to do was play for the Canons; and now I am doing just that." Ron paused to take a sip of his tea.

"But recently, I have been thinking about my life and I have decided that I want to do something different with my life. I have a new dream; a dream that does not involve Quidditch. At first, I asked dad to help me find a job. He ended up asking Jen to help as well since she has many contacts as well. I didn't quit the Cannons until I knew for certain that I had another job lined up, which Jen got for me."

"What's the job, Ron?" Molly asked him.

"Actually, Jen hired me as her new assistant."

"That's wonderful, Ron. Congratulations," Ginny said to him.

"That's great, Ron. I'm really happy for you, but what is this new dream that you are talking about?" Hermione asked him.

Ron smiled widely at her. He got down on one knee and pulled a beautiful engagement ring out of his pocket. Hermione's jaw dropped at the sight of Ron kneeling in front of her with a ring in his hand. "My new dream is you and only you. For as long as I've known you, I have wanted to be with only you. My heart aches when I am away from you during the season and I know that I would never make a good husband as long as I was playing Quidditch. Here, at home with you, is where I know that I belong. Hermione Jane Granger, will you do me the honor of being my wife?"

Hermione's opened mouth turned into a smile as several tears slid down her cheeks. "Of course I will marry you, Ron." she told him as she flung her arms around his neck. Then, as if a bolt of lightning struck her, she remembered what she had said to Jen. "Oh my gosh. I have to go apologize to Jen." Ron nodded and kissed her before she left the room.

Meanwhile

Jen sat in the living room, thinking about what had just happened in the kitchen. _I can't believe she got mad at me for Ron quitting his job._ George came in and sat next to her, pulling her from her thoughts. "Are you okay, Jen?" he asked her.

She looked at him with hurt eyes. "No, George. I'm not. I can't believe Hermione got upset with me over this. She doesn't even understand why Ron did it."

"I don't think I understand either. Why would Ron quit his job with the Cannons? He's wanted to do that for as long as I can remember."

"Ron quit his job because he wants to marry Hermione. He didn't want to do it while he was playing Quidditch because he knew that he would never see her and because he wants to have a family."

"So you helped him get a job at the Ministry so that he could marry Hermione?" he asked her.

"Yes, but I also helped myself. I hired Ron as my new assistant, both to allow him to marry Hermione and live comfortably and to give me an extra hand with my work once the baby comes," she told him as she patted her bulging belly.

George shifted uncomfortably on the couch. Just knowing that it was Malfoy who had raped and impregnated her made his hair stand on end. "That was a very nice thing that you did for them, Jen. I'm sure Hermione will get over it once she knows why you did it."

"Thanks, George," she said to him with a smile. At that moment, Hermione came rushing into the living room.

"Jen, I am so sorry. I never should have gotten angry and said what I said to you. Will you forgive me?" she asked her older friend as she hugged her.

"It's okay, Hermione. I understand why you got upset. I just hope that everything will work out for you," Jen told her as she winced in pain.

"Are you okay, Jen?" George asked with concern.

"I'm fine. The baby just kicked me. Sometimes it hurts," she assured them. They both looked relieved that it wasn't anything serious. "Wanna feel it?" she asked them. Hermione nodded her head eagerly and Jen placed Hermione's hand on her belly. "George, do you want to feel?" she asked him. He gulped at the thought of touching her stomach, but he agreed when he saw the happiness in her face. She took his hand and placed it on her stomach and waited.

Several moments later, they both felt the baby kick and they both got excited. "Wicked," George said as he pulled his hand away. Hermione agreed. Jen smiled at the both of them.

"Well, I am going to go to bed now. I will see you both in the morning. Tell everyone else that I said good night. Congratulations, Hermione. I am very happy for you," Jen said as she stood up. She walked out of the room and up the stairs. George stared after her; an adoring look in her eyes.

Hermione noticed the look on his face and smiled. "I don't know why you don't just tell her that you love her and get it over with," she said to him and she stood up and went back into the kitchen to rejoin her fiancé.

George stared after Hermione with his jaw hanging open. He then returned his gaze to the direction of the stairs. _Why can't I just tell her how I feel? Why is this so difficult for me?_ He asked himself. He put his head in his hands and thought about everything that has happened over the past five months. _I know that Jen would be a good mother. I just wish that the child she was carrying was mine._


	8. The Big Day or is it?

24

Chapter 8

The Big Day… or is it?

Two months had past since Ron had proposed to Hermione. Jen was getting bigger and the wedding was planned. Ron and Hermione were to be wed in July, which was two months away. It may have seemed like a short engagement, but they had been together long enough.

Hermione had asked Ginny to be her maid of honor and Jen and Angelina to be her bridesmaids. Ron had asked Harry to be his best man and Fred and George to be his groomsmen.

The plans for the wedding were going smoothly. They were going to be married on the Quidditch pitch at Hogwarts by Albus Dumbledore. Mr. Weasley was going to be giving Hermione away since both of her parents had died back in her sixth year.

One day, about five weeks before the wedding, Jen was sitting out by the pond near the Burrow. She had transfigured her guitar into a keyboard and was playing a song that she had written.

If it hadn't been for the twig on the ground, Jen would have never known that someone was behind her. She stopped playing and opened her eyes. "Hello, Hermione. What can I do for you?" Jen asked.

"How did you know it was me?" she asked as she sat down next to her older friend.

"I just knew. What can I do for you?"

"What was that you were playing? It was beautiful."

Jen smiled at her words. This conversation reminded her of the one she had with Ron a couple of months ago. "It's a song I wrote while I was attending the Muggle university in America."

"What's it called?"

Jen's smile grew wider. _This could be interesting._ "It is untitled as of now, but I will have one by the wedding."

Hermione looked confused. "Why by the wedding?"

"Because I am going to perform it for the two of you at the wedding."

Hermione smiled at her. "Really? That would be great. Thank you so much."

"You are most welcome. I also wanted to tell you something pertaining to the actual ceremony and reception on the pitch." Hermione raised her eyebrows and gestured for Jen to continue. "I have been working on an environment bubble or sorts. It can create natural weather."

"Wow. That sounds really cool. What are you going to use it for?"

"I was actually going to use it for your wedding, since the ceremony and the reception will be held outside. That way you will have a beautiful day without a cloud or drop of rain in the sky, no matter what the actual weather is."

"Are you serious? Jen, that is so cool. Thank you. It really means a lot to me. The one thing I feared most about having an outdoor wedding is that it might rain. But with your invention, I don't have to worry. That makes me feel much better."

"Not a problem, Hermione. Consider it part of your wedding present."

"Part of our gift? What's the other part?" she asked Jen with a quizzical look.

"That, my friend, is for me to know and for you to find out."

Hermione laughed. "Okay, I've known you a long time and I know that you wouldn't do anything to hurt or embarrass us."

Jen laughed. "My name is certainly not Fred or George Weasley. And trust me, you'll love it."

"I'm so excited. I can't wait till July when I will finally become Mrs. Ronald Bilius Weasley," Hermione told her. She stood up and hugged Jen. "I'll see you later."

Jen said good bye and turned back to her keyboard. _This is going to be a great wedding_, she thought to herself as she began to play again.

Three weeks had passed since Jen and Hermione had talked by the pond. Jen was sitting in the Leaky Cauldron with George, enjoying a peaceful lunch. Jen had to meet the girls in thirty minutes so that they could shop for their dresses for the wedding. The two of them sat there talking about the baby.

"So, have you found out if it's a boy or girl yet?" George asked her.

"No. I want it to be a surprise."

"Any names picked out?"

"Well, I had thought of Kyle Christopher for a boy's name and Alexandra Lynn for a girl's name," she told him.

George thought for a moment about the names she had chosen. _Kyle Christopher Weasley… that sounds kind of nice. Alexandra Lynn Weasley… that could work too._ "I like those names, Jen."

"Thanks. I can't wait till the baby is born," she said as she rubbed her belly.

"I can imagine. I'll bet you are just waiting for the baby to come out. I remember when Mum was pregnant with Ginny. She was always complaining towards the end about how enough was enough and that the baby needed to come out already," George told her with a laugh.

Jen smiled at the story he just told her. "I feel like that sometimes. Other times I just wish this would all go away," she finished softly. George stopped smiling and looked at her with concern.

"Why would you wish for this to go away?" he asked her. She shrugged her shoulders and turned away from him. He knew what she meant. "Listen to me. I know that you feel slightly insecure about being a mother, but I think you'll do a great job. I mean, if you were able to keep me, Fred and Lee in line during all our years at Hogwarts, a baby would be a walk in the park." Jen laughed at his words. "You'll be great; you'll see. And we'll all be there for you every step of the way," he told her warmly.

Jen smiled at him. "Thank you, George. That really does mean a lot," she told him as she glanced up at the clock that hung behind the bar. "Bloody hell. I have to go. I'm supposed to meet the girls in five minutes and it will take me ten minutes just to get there," she told him as she reached for her money bag.

George placed his hand over hers and shook his head. "Lunch is on me today. You better hurry or you'll be late," he told her.

She smiled and stood up. "Thanks, George," she said. She gave him a quick kiss on the cheek and headed out the door.

George watched her leave and then brought his hand up to his cheek. He felt a blush began to creep up his body. _Sweet Merlin, I love this girl._ George gathered his things, left some galleons on the table and headed back to the shop.

Jen entered the dress shop to find Hermione, Ginny and Angelina already there. She apologized for being late and then began to sort through the racks. Jen, who was hesitant to try anything on because of her very pregnant state, opted to help the others find their dresses first.

She pulled out a simple but elegant light blue dress for Angelina. It had a scoop neck and it only showed half of her bare back. There was a slight embroidered pattern along the hem and the breast of the dress. The dress was tight at the top and it flared out at the waist. Angelina was a little wary about trying it on. She was never one to wear form fitting clothing, but Jen assured that she would look great. True to her word, Angelina looked gorgeous.

"You look beautiful, Lina," Jen told her. Angelina blushed at the compliment and muttered a thank you before heading back to the changing room.

Jen picked out a pale green dress for Ginny. It had a slight train and it was off the shoulders. It had a scoop neck in the front and a v-neck back. It was made of satin material and it would look perfect on Ginny. Ginny took it into the changing room and came out a moment later with a huge grin on her face.

"Ginny, you look gorgeous," Hermione breathed. Ginny's smile turned into an embarrassed look.

"You do, Gin. It compliments your hair, eyes and figure perfectly. It's like it was made for you. Good pick, Jen," Angelina told both girls. They both smiled at her in return and Ginny went in and changed back into her clothes.

"Thanks, Lina. Ginny, you look absolutely ravishing. I think you will definitely knock the socks off one Mr. Harry Potter," Jen told her young friend with a smirk. The other girls giggled at her comment.

While waiting for Ginny to come out, Jen perused the selections until she saw the perfect dress for herself. It was a periwinkle blue, just like her dress robes. It had a scoop neck and a plunging back line. It also had a slight train in the back and it flowed beautifully to the ground. Jen wished she had the figure to wear it, but she was pregnant and pregnant girls didn't wear stuff like that. She had started to put the dress back when the shopkeeper approached her.

"Why not alter the appearance of the dress a bit so that it will fit you better, my dear?" she asked Jen as she watched Jen look longingly at the dress. Jen snapped out of her reverie when she heard the saleswoman say something to her. Jen nodded in understanding and then took the dress off the rack and headed into the changing room. Once she was dressed, Jen stepped out of the dressing room and the other girls were amazed at Jen's appearance.

"Jen, you look bloody amazing!" Angelina exclaimed. Jen blushed at her words.

"Thank you, Lina. I feel like a hippo," she added with a laugh.

"Bollocks! You look absolutely beautiful. Enough to knock Mr. George Weasley right out of his socks." Jen turned a brilliant shade of red. She then turned around and went into their respective rooms to work. It was then that they heard a voice; a voice that mad Jen's heart skip a beat and her throat close up.

"Well look at what we have here. A Mudblood, the Weaselette and a Weasel lover," the cold drawl of Draco Malfoy said.

"Are you picking out wedding dresses?" Pansy Parkinson asked from Malfoy's side.

Seeing her engagement ring, Malfoy's eyes widened. "Don't tell me that the Weasel actually wants to marry you," he said coldly to Hermione.

Ginny was about to open her mouth in response, but Jen had just exited the dressing room and the three girls just looked at her. They knew that it was Malfoy who had attacker her. "That's enough, _Malfoy_," Jen said through gritted teeth.

His eyes widened when he saw her, but the real shock came when he saw her pregnant stomach. He gasped at the sight, but Jen didn't falter under his gaze. She had so many emotions running through her at that moment that her body was shaking. "I thought this story had a policy about pets, Malfoy," Jen said with a smirk as she glanced at Pansy.

Both Pansy and Malfoy went to grab for their wands, but Jen was too quick for them. Pansy and Malfoy found themselves silenced and hanging upside down in mid air without their wands. Both were screaming profusely, but no sound escaped their lips. Angelina hurried over to the shopkeeper and assured that no harm would come to anything in the shop. Hermione and Ginny watched in awe at their friend's self control.

Jen walked up to Malfoy and placed her hand over his mouth to stop his silent screams. He finally stopped moving his mouth, but he continued to stare daggers at her. "If I were you, _Malfoy_, I would leave this store and not look back. I would also advise you to stay away from all of the Weasleys, Hermione, Angelina, myself and anyone else that you know is very close to me. That also includes Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes," she told him calmly. Pansy was still thrashing around, but to no avail.

Jen took another step closer to Malfoy and began to speak in a voice just above a whisper. "If I ever see you or _any_ of your friends near any of us again, I will kill you. You have ruined my life in so many ways." She paused and glanced down at her bulging belly before continuing. "If I _ever_ see you near me, my family or any of my friends again, you will die. Am I understood?" she asked him in a very calm voice. He nodded and he then found both himself and Pansy back on their feet with their voices and wands. "Now get out of here," Jen warned.

Though Pansy didn't hear the last bit between Jen and Malfoy, his face was enough to make her leave quietly. It was only when he got to the door that Malfoy thought he was brave again. "I'll get you next time, Weasel lover. Mark my words." Jen spun around in anger, but Malfoy and Pansy were gone.

Jen had begun shaking again. She was furious about what had just happened. Ginny, Hermione and Angelina went over to her and hugged her. "Come on. Let's pay for these dresses and get over to the shop. The boys are probably wondering what's taking us so long," Ginny said as they gathered their things.

Jen paid for all of the dresses and accessories, despite the protests from Ginny, Hermione and Angelina. They took their bags and headed for the joke shop. Upon entering the shop, they found Fred and George talking to Lee, Alicia and Katie. They all greeted the girls and Alicia and Katie left the boys to discuss the upcoming wedding.

"Are you okay, Jen?" Katie asked her when she noticed her friend's facial expression.

Ginny looked at Jen and then at Katie. "We had a run-in with Malfoy while we were looking at dresses," she told her in a low voice. She didn't want her brother to hear, but it was too late.

"Did you say Malfoy?" George asked as he walked over to the girls. Ginny nodded her head and a frown worked its way onto George's face. "I'm going after him," he said as he headed out the door.

Unfortunately, he never made it to door. He soon found himself frozen in place. "No, George," Jen said quietly. "You must not go after him at this time." She unfroze him and he turned around to look at her. "I have already dealt with him. I told him that, if I ever saw his face again, I would kill him."

George looked at her in surprise. "Do you think that was wise in your condition?" Jen cocked an eyebrow at him and everyone else stared at him in disbelief. "I mean, with you being pregnant. It's not like you could fight him-"

"Excuse me? Did you just say that I wouldn't be able to beat that slimy little ferret?"

"I didn't mean it like that. I meant that, with you being pregnant, you wouldn't be much help in the war." Fred slapped his hand on his head at George's comment.

Jen was furious. "Are you telling me that I am useless in our cause because of what that good for nothing son-of-a-bitch did to me?" Jen was starting to yell and everyone else saw how upset she was getting. If it was one thing they learned about Jen when she was pregnant, she was _very_ moody.

"No, that's not what I meant either. It's just that you need to take care of your child and protect them."

"Which is _why_ I will fight in this war?"

"But you can't. You need to stay at home with you son or daughter. I'll protect you from You Know Who." Jen's eyes bulged out of her head and George immediately knew that he said the wrong thing.

"GEORGE ARTHUR WEASLEY! I cannot believe that you just said that to me!" George winced from the volume of her voice. "I am one of the most powerful witches in the world! Who are _you_ to tell _me_ that I can't fight? Who are _you_ to tell _me_ that I have to stay behind while you all go out and fight the good fight? I am fully capable of fighting in this war and protecting myself _and_ my child. It's not _your_ job to protect me, George Weasley!" With those last words, Jen fled the shop in tears.

"Jen, wait!" he called after her. His words fell upon deaf ears because she was already gone. "I _want_ it to be my job to protect you," he muttered to himself.

Fred walked up to his twin and hit him in the back of the head. "Nice job, George. What a way to win her heart."

"Yeah, George, what would possess you to say something like that to her? While she's pregnant no less," Ginny said as she picked up the bags that Jen had left behind.

"I didn't mean for it to sound like that. I only meant that her child would need her during the war and that she would rather be close to her newborn child instead of fighting. What good would it do her son or daughter if she died in battle? Then they would never know her the way we all do and they would never love her like I do." George stopped with that sentence. The thought of Jen dying in battle and then her child being left all alone and never knowing her has tortured his sleep ever since he found out she was pregnant. He has had countless dreams where he is raising her son or daughter because she died during the war. He never told anyone about those dreams, not even Fred.

"Well, I'm going to go back to the Burrow and check on her. I'll talk to you guys later," Hermione said as she headed for the fireplace. The rest of the girls said their good-byes and followed her.

Fred and Lee just looked at George, who looked like he was about to cry. "Are you okay, George?" Fred asked. George just looked at his brother with painful eyes. "I really messed up, didn't I?" he asked. They both nodded.

"You have to understand, dear little brother. Jen is seven and a half months pregnant. She's been having mood swings very often and she's still bitter about the fact that her entire life has drastically changed in such a short time. Just give her some time to cool off before you go and talk to her. Explain to her what you really meant without tripping over yourself and hope for the best," Fred told him sincerely.

"I never would have said you were the sensitive type, Fred," Lee told him with a laugh. Fred hit him in the arm and George smiled, though he didn't laugh.

"First of all, I'm not your little brother. Two minutes doesn't really count. I'm gonna go upstairs now. If you need me, I'll be in my room." Fred and Lee nodded and George went upstairs.

George laid on his bed and stared at the ceiling. _I can't believe I got her so mad. That wasn't my intention. I just want her to be safe._

AT THE BURROW

Jen appeared in the kitchen of the Burrow, causing Mrs. Weasley to jump in surprise. "Jen, you scared me. What are you doing back so early? And where is Ginny, Hermione and Angelina?" At that moment, the other girls appeared, causing Mrs. Weasley to jump again. "What in the name of Merlin is going on? Hello Alicia. Hello Katie." Alicia and Katie said their hellos and then looked sympathetically at Jen, who was staring off into space. Molly noticed all of their behavior and decided to ask about it. "Is something wrong, girls?"

Jen looked at her friends and then to Molly before staring back off into space. "We saw Malfoy earlier," Jen told her. Molly gasped and covered her mouth with her hand. "I'm okay, Molly. I took care of both him and Pansy. It was just hard for me to see him after what had happened," she said as she stood up. "I'm gonna go lay down for a bit. Call me when dinner is ready."

"I will," Molly told her and Jen left the room.. Once she had heard the door to Jen's room close, Molly turned to the other girls with a questioning look. "So, what _really_ happened today?" Ginny sighed and told her mother everything that had happened from when they had arrived at the dress shop to when they left the twins' shop. Molly just shook her head. "Those two better admit their feeling to each other soon. They are driving me nutters," she said as she stood up and went back to preparing dinner. The girls all nodded in agreement.

"Hermione, you look beautiful," Ginny told her as she entered the room that Hermione was getting dressed in. Hermione smiled at her friend.

"Thanks, Ginny. So do you. Where are Jen and Angelina?"

"I'm right here," Angelina said as she entered the room. "Jen is in the bathroom. She will be a few minutes. Hermione, you look absolutely lovely."

"Thanks, Angelina. So do you."

"Hello ladies," George said as he popped his head in the room. "You all look stunning," he told them. He noticed that Jen was not there. "Where's Jen? We're gonna be starting in five minutes."

"She's in the loo, George. She'll be ready in a couple of minutes." He nodded and left the room. "Where _is_ Jen? I hope she's okay," Hermione said nervously. Jen was eight and a half months pregnant and looked as if she could pop at any minute. Hermione was pulled from her thoughts when the door opened and a very pregnant Jen waddled in. Hermione smiled at her.

"Sorry I'm late. I had to use the loo. Didn't want to ruin my dress," she said with a smile, causing the other girls to laugh.

"Jen, you look beautiful. You really did a great job on that dress," Angelina told her.

Jen blushed. "Thanks, Lina. You look beautiful too; you all do." Jen conjured up a glass of water and took a big sip. "So, let's get this started. I need to sit down," she said with a laugh.

"Are you okay, Jen? If you need a few moments to rest, I'll totally understand," Hermione told her. All though she was anxious to finally marry Ron, she wanted to make sure that Jen was healthy enough for her to do so.

"I'm fine, Hermione. You and Ron have been together for just so long and you have both been waiting for this day almost as long. Everyone else has been waiting for this day since the two of you had your first row." Ginny and Angelina giggled at Jen's last comment, which caused Jen and Hermione to smile. "I will not allow the two of you to wait a minute longer. Now let's get moving," Jen said. She finished her water and made the glass vanish.

Since Hermione was a Muggle, they had decided to have a combination Muggle/wizard wedding. Ron, Harry, Fred and George stood at the alter as Jen, Angelina, Ginny and Hermione walked down the aisle. Professor Dumbledore married them and then the reception was held in the same place.

Once everyone was seated, Jen walked up to the stage. "First and foremost, I would like to _finally_ present to you, Mr. and Mrs. Ronald Weasley. "The entire crowd applauded them. "Now, it is my honor to bestow upon them two songs that I have written while I was attending a Muggle university in America." She looked over at Ron and Hermione and beckoned them onto the dance floor. "This first song is called "Greatest Story Ever Told." I originally wrote this song about a certain someone," her eyes briefly met George's, "and I thought that this song would be perfect for the two of you. This song goes out to Hermione from Ron." Jen conjured up a chair and sat down. She picked up her guitar and began to play.

_Thank you for this moment  
I've gotta say how beautiful you are  
Of all the hopes and dreams I could have prayed for  
Here you are  
If I could have one dance forever  
I would take you by the hand  
Tonight it's you and I together  
I'm so glad I'm your man  
And if I lived a thousand years  
You know I never could explain  
The way I lost my heart to you  
that day  
but if destiny decided I should look the other way  
then the world would never know  
the greatest story ever told  
and did I tell you that I love you  
tonight  
_

George watched Jen very carefully. He wanted to see if she would look at him again, but she did not. He listened to the words of the song, but was unable to place their meaning. He looked over at his younger brother and new sister-in-law and saw how happy they looked. _I wish I could be that happy one day_, he thought to himself as he looked back at Jen.

_I don't hear the music  
When I'm looking in your eyes  
But I feel the rhythm of your body  
Close to mine  
It's the way we touch, it soothes me  
It's the way we'll always be  
your kiss your pretty smile  
you know I'd die for  
oh baby  
you're all I need  
And if I lived a thousand years  
You know I never could explain  
The way I lost my heart to you  
that day  
but if destiny decided I should look the other way  
then the world would never know  
the greatest story ever told  
and did I tell you that I love you  
just how much I really need you  
did I tell you that I love you  
tonight  
tonight_

"I never knew she could play the guitar," George said to Fred as he watched her play. He watched the way she closed her eyes and sang the words. She sang them as if she meant every word and was trying to say something.

"She learned when she was in America. She told me that she had taken lessons at her Muggle university," Fred told him as he took a sip of his drink. George nodded and kept listening.

_And if I lived a thousand years  
You know I never could explain  
The way I lost my heart to you  
that day  
but if destiny decided I should look the other way  
then the world would never know  
the greatest story ever told  
and did I tell you that I love you  
just how much I really need you  
did I tell you that I love you tonight_

Everyone applauded and Jen bowed her head in thanks; she never left her seat. She lifted her wand and conjured up a magical drum set and keyboard to play with her. "This next song is called "Long Time Coming" and it goes out to Ron from Hermione. I actually began writing this song just after I left Hogwarts for America. It wasn't until I attended the Muggle university that I was able to put it to music. I also wrote this song about the same someone." Without looking at George, she began to play.

_Everybody wants to be loved  
every once in a while  
we all need someone to hold on to  
just like a helpless child  
yeah  
can you whisper in my ear  
let me know it's alright  
it's been a long time coming  
down this road  
and now I know  
what I've been waiting for  
and like a lonely highway  
I'm trying to get home  
ooo loves been a long time coming  
_

Ron and Hermione danced across the floor, accompanied by several other couples. Harry had asked Ginny to dance, Fred danced with Angelina and Lee was dancing with Alicia. Katie would have asked George to dance, but she saw the way he was staring at Jen and knew that it was not worth it to bother him. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley joined the crowd on the dance floor, as well and Professors Dumbledore and McGonagall and Remus and Tonks. George, however, sat in his seat staring at the beautiful woman on stage.

_You can look for a lifetime  
you can love for a day  
you can think you got everything but  
everything is nothing when you throw it away  
yeah  
then you look in my eyes  
and I have it all  
once again  
it's been a long time coming  
down this road  
and now I know  
what I've been waiting for  
just like a lonely highway  
I'm trying to get home  
ooo loves been a long time coming  
didn't know I was lost  
till you found me  
uh huh  
didn't know I was blind  
but now I see  
_

Jen was now looking at George, who was sitting alone and staring back at her. A tear slid down her cheek as she looked away from him. He wanted to yell out to her that he loved her, but he knew that he could never do that. The two of them hadn't spoken to each other since that day in Diagon Ally. _What I wouldn't give for this song to be about me_, he thought as he put his head in his hands.

_can you whisper in my ear  
let me know it's alright  
it's been a long time coming   
down this road  
and now I know  
what I've been searching for  
oh been a long, long highway and  
now I see  
ooo loves been a long time  
ooo been a long time  
loves been a long time coming_

Jen finished the song and was met with a standing ovation. She stood up and bowed to her audience. She then held up her hand for silence. "I know that only the maid of honor and the best man are supposed to make the speeches, but I have something to say." She conjured up a glass of water and took a sip. "As most of you may know, Ron has been working for me for the last three months and has been a major help. He has done so much for me so far, as have all the Weasleys, and I have something for him in return. Due to the current situation," Jen patted her large belly, "Ron and Hermione have decided to postpone their honeymoon a few months. That, however, is not acceptable to me. I have known these two for many years and, not only have _they_ waited for this day, but we all have. I will not allow their happiness to be put on hold because of me. This is why I have taken it upon myself to arrange it with Hermione's boss to send them both on their honeymoon immediately." Ron and Hermione's jaws dropped along with just about everyone else's. "Consider this my wedding gift to the both of you. You will be leaving tomorrow morning and will be spending two weeks on the beautiful beaches of Hawaii. Congratulations to the both of you and I hope that you both have fun." Jen waddled off of the stage to meet Ron and Hermione.

"Jen, what are you doing?" Ron began.

"We can't accept this," Hermione continued.

"We have planned on going in a few months, we can't go now."

"Ron, Hermione, you two deserve this trip more than ever. The trip is already paid for and it is my wedding gift to give. Enjoy it."

"But what about the baby?" Hermione asked.

"I have already spoken with Molly and Arthur and they have agreed to help me as much as possible until you return. I am ordering you to go and I will not tolerate anything but a yes from either of you," she told them both firmly.

They both gave her a smile and then a hug. "Thank you," Hermione whispered in her ear. Jen smiled at them both.

"I just want you two to enjoy yourselves. You deserve it," she told them with a smile. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to get a drink," she told them as she waddled over to the refreshment stand.

While standing at the refreshment table, Jen felt a pair of eyes on her. She knew without looking who they belonged to and it was making her slightly uncomfortable. Then, sensing someone close to her, she turned around to find George standing directly behind her. "What do you want?" she asked him.

He smiled weakly at her. "Can we talk?" He looked at her pleadingly. She nodded. Jen hadn't spoken to George since that day in Diagon Alley and she hated it. She had been so angry with him for what he had said and she had never given him a chance to explain. "Will you dance with me?" he asked her as the next song began. She took his outstretched hand and walked with him onto the dance floor.

"I'm sorry," he told her as he put his arm around her waist. "I'm sorry for what I said to you that day in Diagon Alley." She went to say something, but he stopped her. "Before you say anything, let me say what I have to say." She closed her mouth and looked at him. "I never meant what I said; at least not the way it came out. All I meant was that I didn't want anything to happen to you. I feared that you would either be severely injured or even killed in the war. I don't think I would be able to handle that; especially if you ended up dying, leaving your son or daughter alone in this world. Then they would never know what a wonderful and beautiful woman you are."

"I'm sorry too. I never should have yelled at you the way I did without letting you explain. I guess I am still a little hurt from the six years that you didn't talk to me." George lowered his head in shame.

_The strands in your eyes that color them wonderful  
Stop me and steal my breath  
Emeralds from mountains thrust toward the sky  
Never revealing their depth  
Tell me that we belong together  
Dress it up with the trappings of love  
I'll be captivated  
I'll hang from your lips  
Instead of the gallows of heartache that hang from above_

I'll be your crying shoulder  
I'll be love suicide  
I'll be better when I'm older  
I'll be the greatest fan of your life  


"I am truly sorry about that. When I first heard that you were leaving, I was crushed. So many things ran through my mind and I couldn't sort them out. That is also the reason why I never came to say goodbye to you that day. I wanted to write you, but I never knew what to say."

"I wouldn't have cared if it was only a hello. Anything would have been better than nothing, George."

"I know. Well, I have something to say to you now. It's what I was going to say to you before I found out you were leaving." She looked at him with raised eyebrows. _Here goes nothing._ "We've been friends for a long time now and I consider you a very close friend. During our fourth year, something changed. At first, I didn't know what it was and I ignored it. As the years passed, I came to realize and accept what that change was." George stared deep into her hazel eyes. He remembered his Gryffindor courage and continued. "I felt it back in seventh year when you left and I still feel it now. I have remained silent about this because I was afraid, but I'm not afraid anymore." He took a deep breath before his next sentence. "I'm in love you." Jen's eyes widened and she let out of a tiny gasp. Fear of rejection came over him, but he needed to finish before he said anything. "I have been in love with you ever since the day you, Fred and Lee pushed me in the lake back in fourth year. I have thought of nothing but you since that day. I have dreamed of you and me together so many times. The way you smile, the way you laugh, the way you cry, the way you frown; when you're angry, happy and sad." There were several tears falling down her cheeks, which George wiped away with his thumb. "When you were attacked, I was so angry, but hurt at the same time. I was hurt because your life was going to change forever. You were forced into motherhood and you were going to be doing it alone, even though you were going to be getting help from me and my family. I was also hurt because I wasn't going to be the one sharing this experience with you. _I _wanted to be your first and only love and _I_ wanted to be the father of your children," he told her as he lightly placed one of his hands on her belly.

_Rain falls angry on the tin roof  
As we lie awake in my bed  
You're my survival, you're my living proof  
My love is alive not dead  
Tell me that we belong together  
Dress it up with the trappings of love  
I'll be captivated I'll hang from your lips  
Instead of the gallows of heartache, that hang from above  
_

_I'll be your crying shoulder  
I'll be love suicide  
I'll be better when I'm older  
I'll be the greatest fan of your life_

Jen gazed into his eyes and he returned her gaze. Jen felt as if she was floating. _He loves me. After all this time, he loves me. Bloody hell!_ She saw his eyes flash with pain and he began to walk away from her. "George, wait," she said as she tightened her hold on him. "Don't leave. I have something to tell you too." He looked into her eyes, searching for a sign of hope. "Thank you," she told him with a smile. He looked at her with raised eyebrows. That was clearly not the reaction he had hoped for. "Thank you for feeling for me what I feel for you." It took him several minutes to actually process what she had just said to him, and his entire face lit up when he did. She smiled at him. "I have loved you for so long, George. I felt so much pain these last few years. I have wanted nothing more than to come and see you and tell you how I felt, but my heart hurt too much. I too have dreamed of the two of us together and being very happy. I have wanted_ only_ you to be my first love and _only_ you to be the father of my children," she told him as she placed her hand over his. She leaned up towards him as he leaned down towards her.

_I've been dropped out, burned up, fought my way back from the dead  
Tuned in, turned on, Remembered the things that you said  
_

_I'll be your crying shoulder  
I'll be love suicide  
I'll be better when I'm older  
I'll be the greatest fan of your life_

Lee, Alicia, Angelina, Katie, Harry and the Weasleys were all watching Jen and George on the dance floor. "I wonder what's going on with them." Lee said when he noticed that Jen was crying.

"I don't know, but I really hope that he is finally telling how he feels," Fred said.

"I'm with you on that one," Ron said. The others agreed. Then, as if on cue, they watched Jen place George's hand on her stomach and the two of them lean in for a kiss.

"Thank Merlin," Hermione said as they all witnessed Jen and George's first kiss. They all watched as the kiss intensified. Then suddenly, Jen fell to the floor clutching her stomach. Thinking that she was in labor, they all ran to her side.

MEANWHILE

Jen leaned up as George leaned down and their lips met for the first time. It was like nothing either of them had ever felt before. The kiss quickly grew more passionate. Jen brought her arms up around his neck and he put his arms around her waist and pulled her closer to him.

Suddenly, Jen pulled away and gasped. She grabbed a hold of her stomach and winced in pain. "Are you okay? What's wrong?" George asked her with concern.

"I don't know," she said. She gasped again. "I… think… I … need… to… get… to…" Jen had never finished her sentence because she fainted.

And what a cliffy it is. Sorry guys. You will all have to wait until Chapter 9 to find out what happens. You guys gotta love me. LOL!

For the record, the two songs that I said were written by Jen's character at the wedding were NOT written by me. They are both from the 'What A Girl Wants' soundtrack and both songs are by Oliver James. I TAKE NO CREDIT FOR THEM!

I hope you all enjoyed this chapter.


	9. Revelations – All Things Happen for a Re

13

Chapter 9

Revelations – All Things Happen for a Reason

Hermione and Ginny apparated to St. Mungo's to alert the Healers on duty that Jen was coming in and that she needed help. George appeared moments later, cradling an unconscious Jen in his arm; both of them were covered in blood. The rest of the Weasley family and Harry arrived just as the Healers were taking Jen into an examination room. George wanted to go with her, but he was told to stay behind. He tried to force his way into Jen's room, but Charlie and Fred grabbed him and held him back.

"Don't worry, George. We'll go and see what's going on and come tell you," Ginny told him. Since her and Hermione worked there, it was easier for them to see what was happening. The two of them disappeared into Jen's room. George sank to the floor and began to silently cry.

Not long after, Hermione and Ginny came out of Jen's room and made their way towards their family. George saw them and jumped up from the floor. "How is she? Is she alive? What about the baby?" Neither one wanted to look at him. "Gin, please tell me. Is Jen okay? What happened to her?" he asked his sister.

Ginny looked first at Hermione, then to the rest of the family and then finally at George. "She's alive," Ginny told him. "She lost a lot of blood and will have to stay here for a few days."

George sighed with relief. _Thank Merlin she's alive._ "What about the baby? Did she have a girl or a boy?" he asked. Ginny looked away from her brother. She then looked at Hermione for help; she just couldn't bear to tell him.

"It was a boy," Hermione told him sadly.

"A boy? Jen will be thrilled to hear that," George said with a smile. He obviously didn't hear the way Hermione had said it, but the others did.

"What do you mean it _was_ a boy, Hermione?" Bill asked. A tear slid down Hermione's cheek and George's smile began to fade.

"Jen had complications and… there was nothing we could do… she lost the baby," she said as another tear slid down her cheek. Molly gasped and George slid down to the floor with a shocked expression. Several tears began to fall down his face; Fred kneeled down next to him and hugged him.

"Can I see her?" George asked. They were about to tell him that she should be left alone to rest and deal with the news for a little while, but the sight of his tear-stained face when he looked up at them made them change their minds.

"I will take you to her room, but the rest of you will have to stay here for a bit. Once I bring George to Jen's room, I will inform the Healer-in-charge that you will all be visiting," Hermione told then as she began to walk down the hallway with George following closely behind her.

When George walked into Jen's room, he wanted to cry out in agony. She was lying in her bed staring out the window with a vacant expression on her face. She made no acknowledgement that the two of them entered the room. _She looks so sad_, he thought to himself. He quietly walked towards her bedside and sat down in the chair next to her. He touched her hand and she turned her head to look at him. Her eyes spoke volumes and he could convey how she was feeling just by looking at them. He stood up and hugged her tightly. Her sadness, pain and grief finally overcame her and she broke down completely. Seeing the two of them share this tender moment, Hermione left the room.

The two of them stayed in that position for a long time; George wanted her to let it out. He couldn't fathom what she was feeling, but he knew that it was nothing like he had ever experienced before. He simply sat with her and stroked her hair as she cried, until she couldn't cry anymore.

"I can't believe I lost my baby. This child was my life, my family. He was all I had," she sobbed. George felt pained by her words. She had made it seem as him and his family wasn't there for her and cared for her as if she was family. He was also pained because he had just confessed his undying love for her and she acted as if it never happened, though he understood why she would say those words.

He lifted her chin and brushed away her tears with the back of his hand. "You'll always have me, Jen. I have loved you for so long; and I will continue to love you long after I die. I know how much you wanted this baby and how much having it would have meant to you. I am very sorry that you were not able to have your son, but I hope that you would always consider me family." She looked at him with wide eyes, not really sure what to say. He smiled at her confusion.

She went to open her mouth, but he placed a finger over hers to stop her. _Better get it over with now while you still got the courage, Weasley._ He swallowed his fear, along with the lump in his throat, and took a deep breath. "I know that we haven't been on the best of terms lately and that our friendship has suffered greatly while we were a part, but I love you more than anything in the world and I can't imagine my life without you in it." He paused for a moment, trying to catch his breath. "When you fainted at the wedding, I was so scared. I thought you were going to die. I would have killed myself to save you. I wish there was a way for me to give you back the child you lost, but I cannot. I am sorry that you cannot have the family you wanted, but I would be honored if you would really become a part of mine," he told her as he looked deeply into her eyes.

Jen's eyes widened at his words. _Bloody hell! He just proposed to me. I don't think I'm ready for this._ "George, I-" she began, but was cut off by George placing his finger over her mouth.

"Wait, let me finish first," he pleaded. She closed her mouth and nodded her head. "I know that we have only just admitted our feelings for each other, but we were meant to be together. We have known each other since we were eleven and I can honestly say that you know me the best, besides Fred. I know that you will need some time to think about this and get back into the swing of things, but my offer will always be here." He cupped her tear-stained face with his hands and gazed into her eyes. "I feel it; running through every inch of my body when I so much as touch you. I feel as if I couldn't be happier and that nothing could ever possibly bring me down. I want nothing more than to be with you forever."

The tears continued to stream down her face as she leaned into his touch. _Gods, it feels good to be touched by him. I have waited so long for this._ She brought her hand up and placed it over his. She then turned her head and placed a soft and gentle kiss on his palm. She felt him shiver when she did it. She looked up at him and felt herself get lost in his warm, caring and loving eyes. "George, I love you so much; I have for so long," she said softly, placing another kiss on his palm. She continued to gaze into his eyes; she felt everything he told her he felt. "I feel it too; in my very being. I feel what you fee and I don't ever want that to go away."

He leaned down and kissed her softly on the lips. Then he got down on one knee and smiled at her. "Jennifer Lynne Henley, would you do me the greatest honor and be my wife?" he asked her. He didn't have a ring, but he could get one the next day for her.

Jen smiled at him through a cloud of tears. "I'll need some time to get myself back together, but I would love to," she told him with a smile. His entire face lit up and he kissed her again. Hermione had just walked into the room and saw their display. She offered to leave, but they told her to get the rest of the family. Jen and George broke the news to the family, which they were ecstatic about.

Everyone was talking about the engagement and the wedding that had just ended. "I hope I am not interrupting anything. I just wished to see Miss Henley for a moment," said the voice of Albus Dumbledore. Jen smiled at her mentor and invited him to join them. "I am afraid that I cannot stay long. I just wanted to extend my sympathies for your loss and to ask you to come see me in my office as soon as you are well enough." Seeing her face, he quickly told her that he could not say anymore at the present time. She nodded in understanding and he left shortly after saying hi goodbyes. Not long after that, the rest of the family left, leaving George to stay with Jen.

A week later, Jen had left St. Mungo's and returned to the Burrow. She had taken a vacation from work until Ron and Hermione returned home from their honeymoon, which would be in a week. This time gave Jen the perfect opportunity to visit with Dumbledore.

One afternoon, Jen made her way to Hogwarts for her meeting with Dumbledore. She gave the gargoyle the password and entered her mentor's office. They first had tea with Minerva, chatting about school and how Jen was doing. When Minerva left for class, Dumbledore questioned Jen about her research.

"I have gone through it all many times and I still keep coming up with the same conclusion. You will be able to transfer your powers to Harry and still retain them for yourself, but will become telepathically linked with him for as long as you both are alive. I will keep trying to come up with a way to sever the telepathic link, but I cannot make any promises, Albus," Jen told him.

"That would be excellent, Miss Henley. Unfortunately, I will not be able to perform the ritual with Harry." Jen opened her mouth to say something, but he stopped her. "Before you ask, let me explain." She nodded. "The reason why I asked you to come and see me has nothing to do with the research; or at least not the main reason." He pulled out a rather large and tattered leather-bound book from his desk drawer.

"Is that what I think it is?"

"Yes, Miss Henley. This is the Book of Prophecies. There is something in here that you must know." Slightly confused, Jen nodded and leaned forward slightly in her chair. "A prophecy was made several years ago, just before you left Hogwarts, that involved Harry and Voldemort. It said that Harry must receive help from someone special in order to win this war. Without that person's help, this war cannot be won by us and the rest of the world will be lost in darkness forever."

"Who is this person, Albus? And what does this have to do with me?"

"_You_ are that person, Jen. You are the special person who must help Harry. You must be the one to perform the ritual with Harry. You are the key to winning this war."

Jen sat there in silence for quite some time, taking in all that he had just told her. "There must be some sort of a mistake, Albus. I cannot be the one the prophecy is referring to. I'm not special; I'm a nobody. I cannot help Harry." She took a deep breath before continuing. "I do have one question, Albus, in regards to me being this person." He nodded his head for her to continue. "How would I have been able to help Harry if I had never had a miscarriage?"

He averted his eyes for a moment before looking back at her. "As much as it pains me to say this, why do you think you had a miscarriage? It wasn't by accident."

Jen's eyes widened at his words. "No. It cannot be so. Albus, please tell me that there has been some kind of mistake. This cannot be happening to me." She was starting to panic.

"I had a feeling that you would react this way. It is the same way Harry did when he first learned of the prophecy made about him when he was only one year old. I have the entire prophecy written down for you to read. And if you are still not convinced, then I shall take you down to the Department of Mysteries myself so that you may hear the prophecy for yourself," he told her as he slid the book towards her.

She picked up the book and found the prophecy that Dumbledore spoke of.

_H.P.; J.H.;V – In eight years time, the war will begin between good and evil. It is during this war that Harry Potter will battle the Dark Lord. This battle will determine the fate of the world. Should Harry Potter win, happiness and joy will spread to every corner of the world. But should he lose, the world will be lost in darkness for all eternity. There is only one way for Harry Potter to win this battle. He must seek the help and wisdom of his childless friend Jennifer. Only with her help is there any hope for this world. She is the keeper of the power Potter has that the Dark Lord knows not. He must obtain this power in order to come out victorious. The fate of the free world rests in the hands of Harry Potter and Jennifer Henley._

Jen looked up at Dumbledore with an unreadable expression on her face. "So, I have to perform the ritual with Harry and have my life forever connected to his and Voldemort's until one of us dies?"

"Well, you would only be connected to Voldemort until Harry kills him, but yes. That is correct, Miss Henley. I know that this is a lot to deal with, but I would suggest you talking to Harry about this before you make your decision."

"You want _me_ to tell him about all this?"

He nodded at her. "Since this is a decision that can only be made by the two of you, I think it's best that you tell him. I know for a fact that he would react better if you told him."

"What should I say to him, Albus?"

"That, Miss Henley, is entirely up to you. I know you will come up with something." Jen was about to say something, but immediately changed her mind. "Jen, I have no doubt that you can do this. I have always known that you were destined for greatness and this prophecy only strengthens my theory. I know that it is hard to accept all this, but you were born for this. Everything you have done so far has brought you up to this point." Jen nodded, but said nothing. "I want you to take this book so that Harry can read it as well, though you will need to return it as soon as possible. You may use my fireplace to floo to the joke shop. Go to your fiancé and tell him what is happening, though you should tell Harry first. Once you have both made your decision, please owl me so I can make the proper arrangements."

"I will. Good day, Albus. We shall let you know soon." Jen picked up the Book of Prophecies and walked over to the fireplace. She grabbed a handful of floo powder and disappeared into the green flames.

Jen stepped out of the fireplace to find George, Fred and Harry talking animatedly about something. _Probably a new product or Quidditch_, she thought to herself. She took a deep breath and walked over to them, putting her arms around George. He turned and smiled at her. "Hey love. How did your meeting go?" he asked her as he placed a loving kiss on her forehead.

She gave him a forced smile and then turned to Harry. "I need to talk to you," she told him with a slightly sad tone.

"Is everything all right, love?" George asked her with concern.

"I'm not really sure yet, but I need to talk to Harry about something very important." All three men raised her eyebrows at her and she could see the hurt in George's eyes. "I'll tell you over dinner tonight, George, but I need to talk to Harry first. Can we use your kitchen?" George nodded and Jen kissed him soundly on the lips. "I love you." George smiled as he watched her and Harry disappear up the stairs to his and Fred's flat.

"So, what's the matter, Jen? You look like someone just died," Harry said. Jen forced a smile as she sat down across from him at the table. She summoned two teacups to the table and then poured some tea from her wand into each cup. Then, she flicked her wrist at one of the cupboards and a bottle of Firewhiskey flew to the table. Jen then conjured two small glasses and poured some Firewhiskey into each one. "What are these for?" he asked her when she put one of the glasses in front of him and the other in front of her.

"Believe me when I say that you will want it when I'm done," she told him. He was obviously confused, but he nodded for her to continue anyway. "Right, well, as you know, I had a meeting with Dumbledore before and he told me of a prophecy." Jen proceeded to tell Harry of the new prophecy that had been made several years ago and how a friend of his was the key to his victory over the Dark Lord.

"Who is this person? Did Dumbledore tell you?" he asked her. She nodded and told him who it was. "You? You're the person who has to help me defeat Voldemort?" Jen nodded. "How? Do you know of the power that both prophecies speak of?" Jen nodded again and proceeded to explain of the ancient magic that Dumbledore had asked her to research for the last seven years. "So you're gonna perform this ritual and give me all of the knowledge and power you have learned and, yet you will lose them forever?" he asked her.

"Not quite," she told him. He raised his eyebrows in confusion. She told him how she had found a way to be able to retain her abilities, but at a price. She told him that they would be mentally connected for as long as they are both alive.

"I don't like the sound of that," he told her.

"I don't either, but I can't seem to figure out how to break the mental connection without one or both of us dying. I have been researching that part for the last six years," she told him.

"I'm not really sure about this, Jen. Isn't there another way?" he asked her hopefully.

She shook her head. "Unfortunately, there is not. I really wish there was, but there is no other way." She placed a hand on one of his and gave it a slight squeeze. "I know that this is a lot for you; it was a lot for me too. But this is our decision to make and we must make it together. If you need time to think about this, then do so. I will, however, tell you exactly what Dumbledore told me before I left his office. This is a decision only the two of us can make; no one else can do it for us. If we choose to do this, Voldemort will die and we will finally be able to live in peace. But if we _don't_ do this, you will die, Harry, and the world as we currently know it will cease to exist and we will be lost in darkness and evil forever." Harry shifted uncomfortably in his seat; he stared at the glass of Firewhiskey in front of him.

"I have made my choice, Harry, but you still have to make yours. All though I do not like the fact of sharing my mind with you for the rest of my life, this is something I have to do. Because of Voldemort, I am an orphan, the same as you, with only the Weasleys for a family. I would much rather see him dead in the end than you, Harry." Harry looked up at her last comment and her words sunk into him. She raised her glass of Firewhiskey to him. "Cheers to ya, mate." He nodded, raised his glass and took his shot. "Why don't you go and think about this on your own, Harry. I'm going to go downstairs. I do want you to know that I plan on telling George about all of this over dinner tonight, so I'll be here if you want to talk later."

"All right. I would definitely count on me dropping by later on. I'll floo over first to make sure that I'm not interrupting something special," he told her with a smirk. She playfully slapped him in the arm. The two of them made their way back down to the shop.

Harry said goodbye to the twins and they said goodbye in return. "What's the matter with him?" George asked as he put his arm around Jen's waist and pulled her close to him.

She smiled as he leaned in for a kiss, which she accepted eagerly. "I'll tell you over dinner tonight, okay?" He nodded and kissed her again. "I'm actually kind of tired. I'm going to go back upstairs and lay down for a bit. If that's okay with you?" she asked him.

"Of course it's fine with me. I'll come wake you up after we close up." She nodded and headed for the stairs. "And feel free to put on something more comfortable," he called. She smiled at him and disappeared up the stairs. George turned around to find Fred shaking his head at him. "What?"

"Something more comfortable? Are you planning on shagging the pretty little witch after work?" Fred asked with raised eyebrows.

"No. I only meant that she could change into a pair of my sweats to sleep in since I know that jeans are not as comfortable to sleep in," George told him. "You're such a randy bastard, Fred." Fred smiled and turned to the customer that had just approached the counter. George turned around and looked up at the ceiling. _Not that I wouldn't mind it._

When the twins closed up the shop, Fred left for Angelina's while George headed upstairs to their flat. He was going to wake Jen first like he told her he would, but he decided to cook dinner for the two of them first. He figured that he had would surprise her that way. He lit a few candles before going into his bedroom to wake her up. He entered the room and saw the most beautiful site he had ever seen in his entire life.

Jen was sleeping on her side with one arm draped lazily over her waist. To George's astonishment, she was wearing only her undergarments, which consisted of a black lacy bra and matching thong. George's eyes roamed her body, soaking in the sight before him. His eyes stopped at her angelic face, which was wearing a smile.

_I wonder if she's dreaming about me_, he wondered as he sat down next to her sleeping form. He lightly ran his hand down her side, from her shoulder to her hip. She stirred slightly, but did not wake. "Jen," he whispered. He leaned down and placed a kiss on the slope of her neck, causing a small groan to escape her lips. _I'll have to remember that spot_, he told himself with a smile. "It's time for dinner, honey," he said to her, only this time he spoke a bit louder.

Jen opened her eyes and looked at him. "Hi," she said with a smile. "What time is it?"

"Near seven."

"Seven? I thought you closed the store at five?"

"We do, but I decided that I was going to cook you dinner before I woke you up. I thought you could use the rest anyway," he told her. She smiled at him; realizing that she was practically starkers, she tried to cover herself up. He grabbed her hands to stop her. "No need to be embarrassed, love. I think you are absolutely beautiful." She blushed at his comment, but that quickly turned to panic when she realized the position they were in. He saw the look on her face at the realization and quickly let her go and sat up straight. "I would never hurt you, love. I couldn't bear the thought. And I would never force you to do anything that you did not want to do. Whenever you are ready for anything, let me know, okay?"

She nodded before pulling him to her and kissing him deeply. "Thank you, George. I am sorry that I am being this way, but-"

"No buts and no apologies necessary. You have nothing to be sorry for. You have a perfectly good reason for acting this way and I respect that." He leaned forward and kissed her lightly before nuzzling her neck. "Let's go eat dinner. I'll get you something to wear for now." He got up and crossed over to the wardrobe. He withdrew a pair of sweat pants and a tee shirt. He turned around to find her stretching on his bed; her back arched up and her body was being pushed towards him. He gasped and dropped the clothes out of surprise.

Jen quickly sat up and stared at him; her hair cascading around her face and shoulders. "What's the matter, George?" she asked him.

_She is bloody sexy._ "Bloody hell, Jen. Do you have any idea how sexy you look right now?" She blushed at his words. He picked up the clothes and handed them to her. He told her that dinner was on the table; he kissed her gently on the lips and then left the room.

Over dinner, Jen told George about the prophecy and her meeting with Dumbledore. He wasn't too happy about what she had told him, but he soon realized that there was nothing he could do about it. The two of them sat there and talked about it until they heard their names being called from the living room. They both went into the room and found Harry's head in the flames.

"Hey guys. Would you mind if I popped over for a bit?" They both shook their heads and Harry's head disappeared from the fireplace and his entire body appeared in the living room. "I hope I wasn't interrupting anything."

"Actually, we were about to have a bit of tea and pie. Would you like some?" Jen asked. He nodded and the three of them went into the kitchen. "So, what's up?" she asked Harry as she set down a slice of pie and a cup of tea in front of each of them.

"I wanted to let you know that I have made my decision about what we had talked about earlier." Jen and George exchanged glances. "I want to do it. If being mentally connected to you forever is the worst of it all, I'll deal with it. It beats dying and handing the world over to Voldemort on a silver platter."

"I'm glad you made the right choice, Harry. I will inform Dumbledore immediately of our decision. The two of us should pick a day to veg out together," Jen told him.

"To what?" George asked, not quite understanding the American term she had used.

Jen laughed at both of their confused faces. "Sorry. What I mean is that Harry and I will have to spend some time together and talk about some things before we perform the ritual."

"But why? Won't we just learn it all once the ritual has been performed?" Harry asked her.

"Yes, Harry, but this is so that we don't get any major surprises. Also, our connection may awaken some repressed memories and dreams," she warned him.

"What kind of memories?" Harry asked her.

"The night your parents were murdered." Harry went pale and George gasped. "You said once that all you remembered was a flash of green light and a flying motorcycle, right?" Harry nodded. "Well, I know that the green light was the Killing Curse and the flying motorcycle was what Hagrid used to transport you from your parents' home in Godric's Hollow to your aunt and uncles on Privet Drive."

Harry was amazed. "How did you know all that?" he asked her.

She blushed and took a sip of her tea. "Dumbledore told me." Harry nodded, but said nothing else.

"I just thought of something," George said. Harry and Jen looked at him. "Since Harry will have learned all that you know once this ritual is complete, maybe he could help you figure out a way to break the mind connection. I mean, two heads are better than one, right?"

"You know, that is a brilliant idea, George. Absolutely brilliant. I never thought of that," Jen told him.

"Right, well we'll get to work on that once the ritual has been performed. However, I think that it's best if we waited to do that _after_ we have defeated Voldemort to do that," Harry told them both. Jen agreed with him. "All right, I'm going to go home now. I have lots of preparing to do. I'll owl you tomorrow so we can set up our veg time, okay?" he asked Jen.

She nodded in agreement. "Okay. I will owl Albus and let him know of our decision. I know that he will wish for us to perform this ritual as soon as possible. I would say that we should veg sometime this week."

Harry nodded and was about to Apparate home when a familiar looking owl flew into the window and landed in front of Jen. "Hey, Jen, isn't that your parents' owl?" He asked her.

Jen just sat there in shock. George moved over to her and put his arms around her. "You okay, love?" he asked her. Without a word, Jen took the envelope from the owl and read its contents. She gasped and dropped it to the ground. "Jen, what is it? What did it say?" George asked her.

"I need to go to America tomorrow," she told him, "and I want you to come with me."

"What? Why?" George asked her. Harry just stood there in confusion.

Jen sighed and then took a quick sip of her tea. "After my parents died, I didn't know what to do with Archimedes. I couldn't keep him because of Isabella and I didn't know what else to do, so I gave him to the guy who had hired me back in America, Michael Walker. I told him that Archimedes was very loyal and that he was to only send him to me if there was an emergency."

"So if Archimedes was only to be sent to you in case of an emergency, what's the matter? Harry asked her.

"That's why I have to go to America tomorrow. I just received a letter from Michael Walker confirming a suspicion that I have had for quite some time now." Jen told them.

"What suspicion? What is it?" George asked her.

"Well, I know that Voldemort had my parents killed, though I am still unsure why, but I also believe that he had Beth, my old assistant, killed as well. Her death never sat right with me and I expressed my thoughts to both Michael and Albus. Michael told me that he would look into it and let me know if he found anything." She held up the letter. "Apparently, he found something."

George leaned over and kissed her on the cheek. "Of course I will go with you. I wouldn't miss being there for you. How long will we be gone?" She told him that they would be gone for a few days. "All right. I'll just go owl Fred and let him know that he will have to do without me for a few days. I'll be right back." He got up and left the room.

Harry turned to Jen. "Let me know when you get back and we'll meet up. I think we should do this as soon as possible." She nodded in agreement and said goodbye to Harry. He Disapparated and Jen made her way to George's bedroom.

She walked in the room to find George just sealing his letter to Fred. "Ready for bed then?" she asked him. He nodded and tied the letter to his owl and sent him off. "I just want to send a quick letter to Michael, letting him know that we will be there tomorrow morning." He nodded as she left the room.

She returned to find George already in bed. "Do you want me to sleep on the sofa?" he asked her.

"No," she told him. She walked over to the other side of the bed and he moved the covers back for her. Before climbing in, she took the sweats that he had given her earlier off, leaving herself in just her undergarments.

George's jaw dropped in amazement as he looked her naked body over. "Bloody hell, Jen." She smiled and crawled into the bed, lying next to him.

"You're not tired, are you?" she asked him suggestively as she lightly ran one of her fingers down his chest.

"No, I … er … I … I don't want to hurt you," he said at last.

She looked up at him and then sat up in the bed. "I know you don't want to hurt me, George," she told him as she cradled his face in her hands. She leaned forward and kissed him tenderly on the lips. "I have wanted this for so long, George. Much longer than I can explain. Could we pretend that this is my first time? Since this would be the first time that I want to do it." She looked deep into his eyes, searching for some sort of agreement and understanding.

He thought about it for a few moments. He really wanted this to happen; he's wanted it for such a long time. He just didn't want to hurt like she had been hurt before. He looked deep into her eyes and saw the same desire and yearning that he had. He leaned closer to her and kissed her, brushing his tongue lightly over her lips. He pulled back and looked at her. "I don't want to hurt you. Promise me you will tell me if I hurt you."

She saw the seriousness in his eyes as he looked at her for her answer. "Of course I will tell you if you hurt me. Though, from what I understand, it is painful the first few times. So it will hurt anyay, but it will be a pleasurable hurt," she told him as she traced her hand down his chest again, only this time she continued down to his torso and to his hips. She never took her eyes off of him.

He swallowed the lump that had arisen in his throat as he stared at her. He had never been with someone like this before and he had always dreamed that his first time would be with her. He took the hand that was resting on her shoulder and lightly ran it down her arm and to her waist. He pulled her closer to him and kissed her passionately. "I love you," he told her when he pulled away.

She smiled at him as she licked her lips. "I love you too," she said before pulling him into another passionate kiss. With a wave of her hand, the lights went out.

That is the end. I shall not write the actual scene following their kiss. I shall leave that to you vivid imaginations, no matter how perverted they may be. LOL! I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and I am extremely sorry it took me so long.

Enjoy

XOXO

Jen


	10. Suspicions Confirmed – A HUGE Surprise

Chapter 10  
Suspicions Confirmed – A HUGE Surprise

Jen awoke to the wonderful smell of freshly cooked bacon, eggs and toast. With a smile, she rolled over to find George walking into the bedroom carrying a tray of food. He smiled at her as he placed the tray on the bedside table and sat down. "Morning, sunshine. Sleep well?" he asked as he leaned over to give her a kiss.

"What's all this?" she asked, gesturing to the tray of food.

He smiled at her. "I thought I'd make you breakfast in bed," he told her as he reached for the tray. "I wasn't sure if you would be up to getting out of bed and going into the kitchen after last night so I figured that I would bring breakfast to you instead." He looked at her with slightly red cheeks. "How are you feeling anyway?"

She blushed at his question as she remembered what had happened the night before. "I'm okay. I'm a little sore, but not too much," she said as she sat up, pulling the covers to her. He handed her a plate and the two of them tucked into their food.

After they ate, George cleaned up their plates while Jen headed for the bathroom. She showered and then dressed quickly. "Ready to go, George?" she asked as she walked into the living room. He nodded. "We're going to floo there since you don't know where you are going. We can apparate home." She then realized something. "I need to send an owl to an old friend in New York before we leave. I need to meet with him for a few moments while we are there. Not for too long, only for a few minutes." He nodded and she went back into his bedroom to write her note. Once the owl was gone, she came back into the room. "Okay, now I'm ready," she told him with a smile.

"Works for me. We can use the fireplace downstairs in the shop." She nodded and they went downstairs. They talked to Fred for a bit before they left. "We'll be back in a few days, Fred." Fred nodded and they left.

Jen landed in Michael's office, a place she had not been in a couple of years. George came in right behind her. As George brushed himself off, Michael walked into the room and smiled at Jen.

"It's a pleasure to see you again, Michael," she said as she gave him a hug. "This is my fiancé, George Weasley."

"Weasley, huh? As in Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes? I love your stuff," Michael said as he shook George's hand. "So _you're_ the one that had captured Jen's heart all those years ago. She never dated a soul while she was here. She kept that part of her life non-existent, and now I know why."

"Right, well there is no need to talk about that right now," she said as she tried to hide the blush that had begun to stain her cheeks. "What news of Beth?"

Michael took a seat at his desk and gestured for them both to do the same. He cleared his throat before telling her what they had discovered. "I know that it has been quite some time since Beth's death, but this information just surfaced. You were right about her death not being an accident. Her mother uncovered her journal, which was hidden in a secret place in her room, only the other day. Within its pages, her mother found entries dated as late as the day before she died. In her last few entries, she made several references that would imply that she was in fact murdered."

"What kind of references are you talking about?" Jen asked him.

He pulled out a leather bound book and pushed it towards her. "Her mother gave this to me so that I could show you. I've marked the entries I was referring to, but feel free to read more if you feel it necessary."

She took the book and flipped it open to the most recent entry, which was dated the day before she died.

_I'm really scared now. I saw the man in black again today, only he  
wasn't alone this time. There were four others with him today, two  
guys and two girls. One of the guys had blond hair, and so did one  
of the girls. The other guy had brown hair, as did the other girl, and  
they looked as if they could be related. I have been seeing him more  
often now, usually on my way to and from work or while I am running  
errands for Jen, but never have I seen him with anyone else. I don't  
know why, but something just doesn't sit right about this. I get this  
bad feeling whenever I see him now; a sort of prickling sensation  
in my head, as if someone is probing my mind. _

I wonder if this has anything to do with the research Jen has been  
doing? She never told me what it was or who it was for. All she  
ever told me was that it was top secret and that I shouldn't ever ask  
about it again. I always wondered about it, but I never asked again.

Jen stopped reading and looked at George. "That's it then. That is why she was killed. They wanted my research."

"What research?" Michael asked.

"But I didn't think that they even knew about the research," George said to her with raised eyebrows, not answering Michael's questions.

"I didn't think they did either. Now this makes no sense. Why not just come after me?"

"Because she was nowhere near as powerful or capable as you are. She was a very bright witch, one of the best in her class, but she would not have stood a chance," Michael told her.

"And the four people she described. I know she wasn't very detailed, but they do sound somewhat familiar. As if I know them from somewhere," she said.

"He clearly wants something from you, love. Information of sorts," George told her.

"I wonder if there are any other clues in here," she said as she flipped through the pages, going back a few entries and stopping at the entry dated two weeks before Beth had died.

_Today I updated Jen's log book. She had told me that she had created  
it in order to keep track of the jobs she had done for people and who  
she had done them for. I usually updated it since she was always too  
busy to do so. I was always amazed at the work she did. I only wish  
that I could be as good as her someday. _

Today, on my way home, I noticed a man dressed in all black. I had never  
seen him before, yet he seemed rather familiar to me. He was tall, at least  
taller than me, and he had broad shoulders. He looked rather young, but I couldn't see his face. There was something about him, I can't quite place it though.

"She speaks of a man in black in both of these entries. I believe that this is the same man. That would mean that she had been followed for at least two weeks," Jen said.

"But who? She said he looked young. How tall was Beth?" George asked her.

"She was about my height. Maybe a bit taller," Jen told him. She turned the page. "Maybe she gives a better description in another entry.

_It's been several days since my last entry. I didn't see the man in black  
again until this afternoon when I had to go to the Apothecary. I was  
working on something that Fred Weasley had sent to us and I needed  
to get some supplies. _

I think Jen is so lucky to know the Weasley twins. I think it's brilliant of  
them to run a joke shop and create the things they do. I'd love to meet  
them someday, though I'd probably never get the chance to meet George.  
Jen doesn't like to talk about him much. I've asked her many times, but  
she always seems to change the subject. I think she loves him, or at least  
she did at one point.

Anyways, back to the subject. The man in black tried to fool me today,  
I think. He was still wearing his black cloak, but he wasn't wearing his  
hood up this time. I was able to get a better look at his face. He's a very handsome man with grey eyes and very blond hair that was cut short,  
falling just above his eyes and ears.

"Bloody hell! It can't be," Jen exclaimed after she stopped reading.

"What? Who is it?" Michael asked her.

"When I get my hands on that stupid-"

"Jen, who is it? Who did she describe?" George asked her as he grabbed her hands to stop them from shaking.

"It's Malfoy. She just described Malfoy. I swear on my life that if he is the one that did this to her, I will kill him. I will hunt him down and kill him myself."

"Who is this Malfoy person?" Michael asked. "He isn't related to a Lucius Malfoy by any chance, is he?"

"Yeah, it's his son. How do you know Lucius?" George asked him.

"He was here a few days ago asking about you, Jen. He said that he had you do some work for him a while back and he needed to speak with you about it. He wanted to know if I had heard from you recently or if I knew how to contact you. I told him I did not, for I had made a promise to you long ago that I would never reveal your whereabouts. I told him that you had disappeared after your parents died and I had not seen or heard from you since."

"Thank you, Michael. I appreciate your quick thinking and loyalty for no telling him where I have been, though I do not understand why he asked you. He works at the Ministry back in London, the same as me, and I am in and out of there at least two times a week. Surely he would have had to see me one of those times to know that I was back in London. Not to mention that I am in Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes all the time," she said as she cast a sideways glance at George, who was looking at her.

Michael shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know, Jen. I just don't know. My guess is that he just wanted to know if I had been in contact with you and if I had mentioned anything about Beth's death."

"That could be it. I'm just glad you didn't tell him anything. My family's home is Unplottable and we have been concealed under the Fidelius Charm for quite some time now. I can only imagine what would happen if they ever found us there," George said, his voice full of concern.

Jen, who had been in deep thought, had finally come to a realization. "That's it. That's why they keep coming after me. That's why Beth and my parents are dead," she exclaimed. "They want it all. They want everything I have ever done since I started this job seven years ago."

"But what could they possibly gain from obtaining all that information?" Michael asked her.

"The logs that Beth mentioned in her journal contain every job I have ever done, who I did them for, as well as what and how I did it. They hold the key to getting past the protection barriers to every wizarding school and all of the Ministries in the world. With that information, he could take over most, if not all, of the wizarding world like that," she said as she snapped her fingers.

"Sweet Merlin, Jen. Can anyone access this information? Is it safe?"

Jen laughed. "Of course it is. I assure you that it is hidden in the safest of places and that no one can read it except for me and Ron. I have placed a very powerful charm on them so that only the intended can access it. That is one of my more ingenious ideas, wouldn't you agree?"

"I will have to say, you are a genius. Though I do have a question for you. What did Beth mean when she said she had been working on things Fred had sent you?"

Jen giggled and then closed the book. "Fred used to send me some of your products, usually your experimental products. He would ask me to check them out and make sure they were no problems and to fix any of there were. He never told you because of our situation. Are you mad?"

"I understand. So now what? Should we contact Dumbledore now or wait until we get home? And where else did you want to go?" George asked her.

"Well, I had hoped to see Beth's mother and then I had wanted to take you to a couple of places before we head back home."

"Beth's parents are on vacation. They won't be back for another few weeks," Michael informed them.

"So much for that idea. How about we just do some sightseeing then? Have you ever been to the States before?" George shook his head and she grinned. "Excellent. There are a few places I want to take you before we go home. We can get a place to stay while we are there." He nodded and they both stood up. "Thank you for everything, Michael. You have been most helpful. I will see to it that the man who murdered Beth, if you can call him a man, pays for what he has done. Be sure to tell her mother that for me as well."

"Of course I will. And if I find out anything else that may be of importance, I will contact you immediately," he told her.

"Thank you, Michael. That means a lot and I know that Albus will appreciate the eyes and ears here." She walked up to Archimedes and stroked his feathers. He hooted softly at her as she did that. "You are to stay here with Michael, Archimedes. He will take good care of you." He nipped her hand affectionately and a tear slid down her cheek as she turned back to Michael. "Send him back to me if there is any news or an emergency. Just like the last time. He always knows how to find me."

"You got it. Mr. Weasley, it's been a pleasure meeting you. I hope to see you again."

"Don't worry, Mr. Walker. You will see me at the wedding," George said as he winked at Jen.

"That would be great. I am really happy for the both of you."

"Thank you, Michael. We will send you an invitation," Jen told him.

"I'll be looking for it and I will inform you of anything out of the ordinary."

They both nodded. "So, where are we going first?" George asked her.

She smiled at him and took his hand. "You'll see. Goodbye, Michael." With that final goodbye, she apparated herself and George to a deserted alleyway in New York City.

"Where are we?" he asked her as he looked around. She smiled and led him out of the alley and onto the bustling streets of…

"Welcome to New York City, love. Otherwise known as the city that never sleeps." George's mouth dropped open at the sight before him. He had never left England before and was marveled by the lights and sounds of the city.

"It's so… wow. This place is amazing, Jen. Thank you so much for bringing me here."

She smiled when she saw the look of pure amazement on his face. "I'm glad you like it, but we have to get moving. There is a place here that you must see." She took his hand and began to lead him down the street. They stopped on front of an old abandoned theater building.

"What are we doing here?" he asked her. She winked at him and then pulled the door open and then pulled him inside. Just beyond the door was a solid brick wall. "I'm confused now. What is this place?"

"Do you trust me, George?" she asked him as she leaned up and kissed him lightly on the lips. He nodded in response. "Then don't ask. You of all people should know understand that not everything is as it seems." She walked up to the brick wall and touched several of the bricks. Suddenly a doorway appeared and they were now looking at a cobblestone street lined with shops that looked similar to Diagon Alley. After seeing George's expression, Jen giggled. "Welcome to Magical Way. I know the name isn't as cool as Diagon Alley, but it's only a name," she told him. "This is New York's version of Diagon Alley, in case you didn't notice already. There is only one thing we have to do before we go anywhere else," she told him. They walked through the doorway and it closed up behind them.

"Bloody hell. Fred would never believe me about this place, this place is amazing."

She laughed at him comment. "No, he probably wouldn't. He'll just have to come here himself to believe it."

"That's funny. He'd never come here, you know that."

"Yes, that is very true, but he will have to come here eventually if he ever cares to see the new shop," she told him with a mischievous smile.

"Shop? What new shop? What are you on about?" She merely smiled at him and tugged on his arm for him to follow her down the street.

She stopped in front of an empty shop and an older man was just leaving it. "Hello, Mr. Sellers. It's quite a pleasure to see you again. How are things?" she asked him.

Nothing but a smile appeared on his face when he saw Jen standing before him. "Why, Miss Jennifer, it is great to see you again. It seems as if I haven't seen you in years, yet it's only been about a month or so. How are you doing? Did you ever have the baby?" Jen's face fell at the mention of the baby. She shook her head sadly and explained about the miscarriage. "I am so sorry to hear that, Miss Jennifer. I hope all is well for you now."

"Yes, Mr. Sellers, it is. I would like for you to meet my fiancé George Weasley. George, this is Mr. Sellers. He owns this building and I have done a few jobs for him in the past."

"Pleasure to meet you, Mr. Sellers. I am quite confused about something though. How is it that you two have seen each other a month ago?"

"I've met with Miss Jennifer several times over the last few months. We've been discussing a business matter," he told George and then turned to Jen. "Is this the man you have told me about, Miss Jennifer? The one with the twin?"

"Yes, Mr. Sellers. This is him. Is everything all set?"

"Yes, Miss Jennifer. Here is the deed and the keys and I wish you all the best of luck." He began to walk away, but stopped and turned back to face the couple. "Before I forget, the keys and deeds to the other two shops are in an envelope waiting for you at Gringott's. Best of luck to you both." He tipped his hat and walked away.

"Okay, that was very strange. Why was he talking about a deed and keys for different shops, not to mention for this one?" he asked her.

Jen turned him to face the empty shop front and handed him the deed and keys. "Welcome to the newest location for Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes, located here at 47 Magical Way."

George's jaw dropped at the words she spoke. He looked from the keys and deed in his hand to the store front and then to Jen. "This… this is… you… bloody hell, Jen. This is really mine and Fred's? You shouldn't have done this," he managed to say.

"Yes, I should have. You two have been talking about expanding for a long time now. Fred has been mentioning it to me for years. I bought this location and two others from Mr. Sellers so that the two of you to expand your store and bring your imagination and creativity to a global level. All three shop buildings are owned outright so no rent is ever due on them." She leaned up and kissed him. "I love you, with all my heart, and you and Fred, as well as the rest of your family, mean the world to me. This is my way of repaying all of you for everything you have ever done for me."

"All of us? How did you do something for all of us? I thought this was supposed to be mine and Fred's shop."

"This location, as well as the other two in Boston and Philadelphia, is directly linked to numerous vaults at Gringott's. One is for the actual store, so that you may do your payouts and all that other stuff. The remaining ones are for your parents, you, your brothers and sister, Harry, Hermione and for the soul survivor."

"Soul survivor? What do you mean by that?" he asked her.

"That only involves the immediate Weasley family. Whichever one of you nine Weasleys are the last one living; you will receive the contents of the vault. Whoever gets the vault will have the authority to do whatever you desire with it."

"And when, may I ask, did you do all of this?"

She blushed at his question. "Actually, I have been doing all of this for the last two years. I set up the vaults first; going through all of the paperwork with Gringott's. Then I started scouting out locations for the shops. Since all three shops are owned outright, they can stay empty for as long as you need them to. Also, the shop in Boston has a two bedroom flat with private entrance above it, just like the one back home, so that you can rent it out if you wish."

George just stared at her in amazement. He pulled her to him and placed a tender yet passion filled kiss on her lips. "Thank you," he said when he pulled away. "This is probably the second best thing that has ever happened to me in my life."

"The second best thing? What was the first," she asked him curiously.

"The day you told me that you love me as much as I love you." She smiled and they both leaned in for a kiss.

(Next Day)  
_Fred,  
I want to tell you that Jen and I are fine and that we are currently in New York City. You have got to see this place. It is bloody brilliant! We are going to Boston and Philadelphia tomorrow. We will be home in two days. _

We, no wait Jen, has a HUGE surprise for everyone when we return. Especially for you. We need you to tell mum that she has to owl Charlie, Percy and Bill and tell them that they need to be at the Burrow no later than 3pm in two days. This is extremely important. We need you to make sure that Ron, Hermione, Harry and Ginny are there as well.

See you in two days,

George and Jen

Fred read and reread the letter several times before folding it up and putting it in his pocket. "Hey Harry," he said when Harry walked into the shop. Harry was helping Fred out while George was gone. "Thanks for helping me while George is gone."

"Not a problem, Fred. I'm glad to help."

"George and Jen just sent me an owl. They were in New York yesterday and are going to be in both Boston and Philadelphia today. They will be back tomorrow afternoon. George said that Jen has a huge surprise for all of us when they get back."

"All of us? I wonder what it could be. We already know that they are getting married. Hey, maybe they got married while they were over there and are going to tell us when they get back," Harry said.

"You and I both know that neither one of them would do that. It means too much to them both, especially Jen, to get married with their family present. I have to send my mum an owl. George said that Bill, Charlie and Percy have to be there as well. Make sure you are at the Burrow by 3pm tomorrow," he told him. Harry nodded in agreement. "Oh yeah, do you know when Ron and Hermione are due back from their honeymoon?"

"Mum said that they should be back sometime this afternoon. Why do you want to know," Ginny asked her brother as she came out of the stock room carrying a few boxes. Ginny was helping out as well. Harry took the boxes from her and placed them on the counter. "Thanks, Harry. Why did you want to know when they get back, Fred?"

"You tell her Harry. I'm going to owl mum now before I forget." Fred walked upstairs to his flat and sent his mother an owl.

"So what are you supposed to tell me, Harry?" Ginny asked him.

"George and Jen are coming home tomorrow and we all have to meet them at the Burrow no later than 3pm."

"Why? What's going on at three? Is everything okay?" she asked him.

"According to Fred, they have a huge surprise for us. He seems pretty excited about it so it must be good."

"Well that's good at least. I feared the worst," she told him. Fred had just rejoined them. "Any idea of what the surprise is, Fred?"

"Not a clue to be honest, but I am very excited to find out. If I know both my brother and Jen, it will be good. Nothing short of an eye popper," he said with a laugh. "George said that the surprise was mainly for me," he added with a grin.

"Maybe they found an American joke shop and brought back a bunch of different product," Harry suggested.

"That would be brilliant, but why would Bill, Charlie and Percy need to be here?" Ginny asked.

"Good point, Gin. I forgot about that," Harry said.

"Well, there is no point in trying to figure it out now. It'll only drive me nutters. Let's just get to work for now," he told them. They both nodded and the three of them set to work.

Ron and Hermione came home that afternoon, just as Ginny said they would, to find Molly bustling about the house. Upon hearing about the surprise, they put their things away and began to help Molly, despite her protests. Throughout the remainder of the day, the entire Weasley family and Harry, had apparated to the Burrow after having been told to show up. For the rest of the evening, they had all contemplated what the surprise could be for them all to be needed in one place, but none of them were anywhere near as excited as Fred was.

"You ready, love?" George asked her as she stepped out of the bathroom.

"Yeah. Let me just grab the papers and put them in the envelope." She placed the deeds and the vault information in a folder and then placed it in her bag. "Do you have all our clothes and stuff?"

"Yup," he told her as he held up the bag with their clothes in it. "I hope everyone is there."

She checked her watch. "Well, it's almost three there, so we should get going." He nodded and they left the room to return their hotel key. "Thanks for coming with me, George."

"No, thank you. For everything. Someday I will pay you back for all of this," he told her.

She shook her head. "You don't have to. As long as you love me forever, that is payment enough." The two of them walked to a deserted stairwell and then, once they made sure to coast was clear, apparated to the Burrow.

"It's about bloody time you two showed up," Fred said when they walked into the kitchen.

Jen looked down at her watch. "It's not even three, Fred. We're early," she reminded him.

"Well, we're all here and we've been waiting for you to get back. What's the surprise?" he asked excitedly.

Jen grinned wickedly at him. "Is that why you are so excited to see us, Fred? You want your surprise. Well, you will have to wait like everyone else. I am going to put my stuff up in my room. I'll meet you in the living room," she told him as she headed out the door. She saw the rest of the family sitting in the living room waiting for her and George. She greeted them all. "I'll be right back I just want to put my stuff on my room."

When she returned, George was telling them about their visit. "… was brilliant. Fred, you should have seen this place. You will have to go there sometime."

"Were there any good joke shops?" Fred asked his twin.

"Not yet, but there will be soon," Jen told him as she joined George in the living room. The entire family looked at her curiously and then looked at George.

"What does that mean?" Fred asked her.

She pulled out a thin envelope from the folder she was carrying. "You know how you and George were always talking about opening up another shop?" Fred nodded his head slowly, not really sure what she was getting at. "Well, this envelope contains the keys and deeds to three separate locations for Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes." Fred's mouth dropped open and the rest of the family gasped at her announcement. "The locations are paid in full, so no rent will ever be due, and the location in Boston has a flat above it with a private entrance, like your shop in Diagon Alley, so you can rent it out if you want to."

"Bloody hell, Jen. I can't believe you did this. George, did you know about this too?" Fred asked him through the large grin that was plastered on his face.

"No, I didn't. I didn't find out about it until after we got to New York."

"I can't believe you did this. Jen, you're the best. This is absolutely brilliant!" He picked her up and hugged her, spinning her in circles.

"There's more, Fred," she told him. He placed her back on the ground and looked at her. "I have more to tell your family." The entire family was now staring at her with even more amazement than before.

"What else is there?" Molly asked her. Jen smiled at her and then pulled out a stack of papers from the same folder.

"Molly, for as long as I have known you and your family, you have all been kind and caring to me, as well as to Harry and Hermione. I have always wanted to do something for you all in return, though I know you would never accept any sort of gift. I have finally found a way to pay you all back for your never-ending hospitality." Molly went to say something, but Jen held her hand up to silence her. "These papers," she began as she held up the papers, "contain the necessary information for each of the vaults that I have set up in each of your names. They are all in direct link to the three new locations of the twins' shop. I will explain it all in a moment."

"WHAT?" everyone except George exclaimed. "What are you talking about? What vaults? Are you ma-?" Jen waved her hand and silenced them all. She knew they would all be mad at her for using a silencing charm on them, but she knew it was the only way for them to listen to her. "Everyone please let me explain. I will remove the silencing charm when I have finished, okay?" They all nodded and waited for he to get on with it, though none of them looked very happy to be silenced.

"Consider this my gift to you all. Through Gringott's, I have set up a vault for each of you that is connected to the shop. The shop here in London will run independently from the other three. The three American shops are all linked to one main account at Gringott's. That account is then filtered into eleven separate accounts. The first account will be for the shops themselves, in order to purchase supplies and whatever else needed for the shop. The second one will go to Molly and Arthur, seven of the eleven will go to Bill, Charlie, Percy, Fred, George, Ron and Ginny. Their own families are included with those vaults. Two more of the vaults will go to Harry and Hermione, and the last one will go to the soul survivor. Whichever one of you original nine Weasleys are the last one to be alive, all of the contents of that vault will be yours and you may do whatever you wish with it. It only pertains to the immediate family, so no spouses, children, etc. can access it." She handed each one of them their paperwork for their individual vaults, keeping the ones for the shop and soul survivor vaults. "The paperwork for the soul survivor will be kept in the London branch of Gringott's as well as the paperwork for the American shops vault. Consider this my big thank you for everything you all have done for me over the years, especially these last few years. I don't know where I would be without all of you and I would be extremely offended if you did not accept these gifts." She removed the silencing charm and waited to be yelled at.

Each member of the Weasley family read the papers Jen had given them, each one glancing at her and then back at their papers. Molly stood up and walked over to where Jen was standing. The two women stood there and stared at each other for a few minutes. The rest of the family watched them, waiting to see what would happen.

Molly smiled and pulled Jen into a tight embrace. "Thank you, dear. For everything."

"You're welcome, Molly. I just wanted to thank you all for everything. I'd be lost right now without you all," Jen told her as she wiped a tear from her eye. The rest of the family got up and hugged Jen as well, each one thanking her for the gift.

When everyone was done hugging and thanking her, George went up to her and put his arms around her. "Have I told you yet today that I love you?" he asked her.

She smiled and then looked at her watch. "Not in the last hour." She leaned up and kissed his lightly on the lips. She pulled away and looked at Fred, who was looking at the deeds. "So, when did you want to go to America and see your new shops, Fred?"

He looked up at her, the same grin still plastered on his face. "I still can't believe you did this, Jen. This has got to be one of the best gifts I have ever gotten in my entire life." He stood up and hugged her again. "Maybe we can go when the war is over," he whispered.

"Of course, Fred. And you're welcome," she told him in his ear. "You two have dreamed of this for so long and I know what it feels like to miss an opportunity," she said as she looked at George. "That is why I have done this for all of you. I don't want any of you to ever have to worry about missing an opportunity again."

They all thanked her again and then sat around talking about the expansion of Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes. "Well, I think I will start on dinner," Molly said as she stood up.

"Let me help you, Molly. I want to show you something I came up with," Jen said as she stood up.

"All right, dear." Molly and Jen left the room, leaving the others in the living room.

"You've got some girl there, George," Bill told him.

"I know, Bill, but thanks for telling me anyway."

"And to think he almost lost her," Ginny said from her seat next to Harry. The others laughed at George's red face.

"Thanks, Gin. I tell myself that everyday when I thank Merlin that she is with me."

"I'll be right back," Harry said as he stood up from the couch he was sitting on. He gave George a slight nod before leaving the living room. "Hey, Mrs. Weasley. Hey Jen," he said when he walked into the kitchen.

"Harry dear, please call me Molly," she told him. He nodded and then looked at Jen.

"Can I talk to you for a moment?" She nodded and they both went outside. They walked to the picnic table and sat down. "So, when did you want to meet up and get ready to do this?" he asked her.

"Well, why don't we meet for lunch tomorrow and we can start then."

"Okay. Sounds good to me. What about the ritual?"

"Well, there are two ways we can do this. We can tell everyone about the ritual before we do it, or we can wait and tell them after. No matter what though, we have to do the ritual if we are ever going to end this war. And that way no one can try and sway our decision, agreed?" she asked as she stuck her hand out.

He nodded and shook her outstretched hand. "Agreed. We'll tell them afterwards. I know George already knows and I want to tell Ron, Hermione and Ginny."

"That is up to you. Ron should know anyway since he is my assistant, but that is your call. I am going to finish helping Molly make dinner for you lot. We can talk more about this tomorrow. Come by here around noon, all right? Ginny will be at work, but Ron and Hermione will be here so you can tell them about it then. And then you can tell Ginny when she gets home. We can have our talk after you talk to Ron and Hermione, all right?"

"All right. I'll see you tomorrow at noon," he told her as he stood up. "And I'll decide tonight if I want to tell anyone and then I'll let you know when I come tomorrow." She nodded and they both headed back into the Burrow.

The entire Weasley family, Harry and Jen sat down at the table for the first time in a very long time for dinner. It was one of the best dinners they had ever had.

And that is the end of this chappie. Sorry if it sucks. I ran out of my muse. Hopefully I can redeem myself with my next chappie.

Jen


	11. The Ritual

Chapter 11

The next day had come all too quick for both Jen and Harry. Neither of them was looking forward to their talk, but that was only because of what was to follow their talk. The two young wizards were seated at the kitchen table of Fred and George's flat. They had been sitting there for quite some time. Many cups of tea and several plates of scones later, their conversation was coming to a close.

"I do want to thank you for always being there for me," Harry said to her. "After you stopped hating me of course," he added with a smirk. She grinned at his comment, but didn't say anything yet. "Especially after everything that had happened in my second year. When you stood up for me with the whole Chamber of Secrets thing and how you told everyone that I never made that snake attack Justin at the Dueling Club. You were the first person to defend me and you have stood by me ever since too," he said to her with a genuine smile.

"And I always will, Harry, but there's something you need to know about me. It will explain why I was so quick to defend you back in your second year," she told him. Harry raised an eyebrow and waited for her to continue. "I knew you didn't tell that snake to attack Justin," she began.

"That's what I mean. You knew me well enough to know that I would never do that," he said before she could continue with her sentence.

Jen shook her head as he spoke. "That's not what I meant, Harry." She took a sip of her tea. "I know you didn't tell the snake to attack Justin because I heard you tell it to leave him alone. You spoke Parseltounge and I understood you."

"You can speak Parseltounge too?" Harry asked in amazement. He had been under the impression that it was not a common gift and that there were only a handful or wizards in the entire wizarding world that could actually speak it. "I didn't think there were many people that could do it," he said once he let the information sink into his head.

Jen smiled at her long-time friend when he added his last comment. "Not may people can, Harry, but you are wrong about one thing," she told him. He raised an eyebrow at her words. "I can't _speak_ Parseltounge, but I can _understand_ it," she corrected. "I've always been able to understand snakes and there is only one person who knows of my even more unusual gift."

"Let me guess, Dumbledore is the only one," Harry said with a slight smirk. She nodded her head in response and Harry laughed. "That doesn't really surprise me all that much," Harry told her with a smile.

"Now I," she agreed. "Well, I think we've said all we've needed to say here, am I right?" she asked him. "Unless you have anything else you want to say," she said as she looked at him with raised eyebrows.

"No, I think we're good for now," he told her as he shook his head slightly. "Are we going to do this now or wait for another day?" he asked her.

"We can do it now, if you want, so that we can get it out of the way," she told him. "I know that neither of us are eager to do it, but if the fate of the entire world is resting on it, then we might as well get it over with, right?" He nodded in agreement and she finished her tea and then stood up. "All right then. I'll go get the stuff we will need and I'll meet you in the living room, okay?" she asked as she placed her tea cup and saucer in the sink. Harry nodded and stood, doing the same with his tea cup, and went to the living room as Jen disappeared into George's room.

When in George's room, Jen went into his closet and waved her wand at the back wall. A small black box appeared and Jen bent over to retrieve it from its concealed location. After getting the box, Jen went over to where George's desk was and opened the bottom draw so that she could get the papers out that she would need for this ritual. With a final glance at her reflection in George's mirror, she sighed as she made her way back towards the living room. As she entered the living room, seeing Harry looking very uncomfortable, she couldn't help but make a mental note that this would be the last time she would have her own mind for quite some time; at least she wasn't the only one. "I know how you feel, Harry, though you should be slightly more used to it than me since you've had _him_ in your head before," she said to her friend in reference to Voldemort. She sat down on the floor and motioned for Harry to join her.

As he moved from the couch to the floor, Jen had already begun to place her papers down next to her, handing Harry a piece of parchment as well. She then picked up her wand and flicked it at the black box, causing a cauldron, a few stands of ingredients and a dagger appear in between the two friends.

"Are we making something?" Harry asked with raised eyebrows at the things that Jen had taken out of the box, as she lit the fire underneath the cauldron.

"No worries, Harry," she said with a smile. "You don't have to do anything with this until the mixture is complete, though I will need a piece of your hair when the time comes," she told him.

"Are you making a Polyjuice Potion?" he asked as his face began to wrinkle up from the memory he had of the last time he had to drink that horrid concoction.

Jen laughed at Harry's question, as well as his face, since she knew of his, Ron's and Hermione's experience with the Polyjuice Potion from their second year. "No, Harry, I am not," she assured him. "What I am going to be making today is for me to be able to retain my own powers and abilities, but so that you can gain all that I currently know and possess," she explained to him. "Without this elixir, I will become a Muggle for the rest of my life," she told him. He nodded in understanding as he knew what that would mean.

One by one, Jen began to add the ingredients to the cauldron as Harry scanned the parchment she had given him so that he knew what he would have to say during the actual ritual. "Now this elixir should be ready by the time we finish saying the ritual," she informed him. "And when I need your hair, I will ask you for it," she finished. "Ready to get this over and done with?" she asked him as she crossed both of her legs and placed her hands out in front of her, her palms facing Harry.. He nodded his head and did exactly what she did, only he placed his hands against hers.

Harry - Nos dico super is ancient veneficus

adservio nos in nostrum causa. Iuvo

rid orbis terrarum illae malum ut

threatens nos totus.

Jen - Take me meus scientia quod totus

of meus vox quod beatus vir sitting

pro mihi per quis EGO sino vos sumo

Harry - Tamen commodo operor non exuo

suus of suus of quicumque is has

philologus ancient ones. Sino suus

ut retain suus scientia quod vox ut

is may exsisto of nonnullus

suffragium in posterus negotium

EGO sum ut tractare

Jen - EGO planto vobis is vitualamen ut

a via of servo quis EGO iam have

philologus.

Jen had put all of the ingredients into the cauldron by this point, with the exception of the two final ingredients. The last ingredient was Harry's hair, but she had another ingredient to add first; her offering. She picked up the dagger that had been lying on the floor next to her and brought the blade to her forearm. Harry raised his eyebrows at her actions, but she just held up her other hand to silence him, followed by a motion for him to give her a piece of his hair. As he pulled out a strand of hair from his head, Jen moved the dagger's blade across her arm. Several drops of her blood fell into the cauldron and she silently healed herself. She then placed Harry's hair into the cauldron, causing it to turn a light orange color; looking similar to pumpkin juice.

Jen then took the ladle that had been lying in the box and placed a fair amount into two separate glasses that she had conjured up. She handed Harry one of the glasses and raised the other one towards him. "Bottoms up," she said as she raised her glass to her lips. Harry raised his glass to his lips as well and then they both downed their glasses. Surprisingly to them both, it didn't taste that bad. After they both had finished the contents of their glasses


End file.
